Harry Potter and the Cross Guard
by IIEarlGreyII
Summary: Harry Potter's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire and he feels like his life is over. But maybe it's only just started? Watch Harry use friendship and hard work to become the powerful wizard everyone wants him to be. And when this hero goes to war expect an army at his back, but this one isn't Dumbledore's. [Supportive Friends : Helpful Dumbledore : Powerful/Political Harry]
1. 01: Quiet Reflection and Misdirection

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better write.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

* * *

I have written a longer summary so people can understand the type of story they are getting into, as I expect it to become quite long. It is only a vague summary, but read at your own risk of being spoiled.

However, here are some things everyone should know: No Horcruxes, No Hallows, No Prophecy.

I am trying to write as original a story I can, while still sticking close enough to canon that it isn't a complete AU. Harry won't have a phoenix animagus form, be the descendant of a dragon, or be able to walk through walls. He will be powerful, but it will be due to hard work and study using abilities that seem to already exist in the Harry Potter world. Harry will still end up in some of the same situations we expect to see him in, but only when it makes sense, and the outcome should always be surprising. Though as we move through the story the familiar scenes should become less and less.

Extended Summary

Book 1  
Harry Potter's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire and he feels like his life is over. But maybe it's only just started? When Harry has the support of his friends and school, there's really no end to what he can do. Watch as Harry takes the tournament more seriously, and works hard to overcome it. And once he feels his fame is earned, not given, how confident will he become?

Book 2  
When the Dark Lord rises again to begin a new war, how will Harry react when he is stuck at school? It's not a suggestion from his friends this time, Harry Potter's starting a club so you can learn to defend yourself! But how does the new defense teacher feel about that? The only question is, when the adults fail to protect the students who is left to take charge?

Book 3  
Harry's group is an inspiration, but they are still just students. Can Harry afford to let them stay that way? It's time to grow up and fight. But to fight a war you need an army. Luckily for Harry he's already started one. If only Hermione didn't make him wear the hat . . .

Book 4  
Britain is in peril, but their greatest hero steps forward to protect it. Harry Potter comes into his own as a political power and starts to make changes. The problem is, can anyone afford to argue with him? With the threat of the Dark Lord and his followers it doesn't seem likely.

Book 5  
War . . . War never changes.

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Chapter 1: Quiet Reflection and Misdirection

Harry Potter looked up in confusion as his life suddenly seemed to hit a brick wall. Literally. He rubbed the tip of his nose and muttered a curse that Hermione would have scolded him for, while shooting a glare at the wall in front of him. Half of him wanted to give it a swift kick, but he doubted his foot would fare any better than his nose. As he looked around and tried to get his bearings, he realized that he wasn't quite sure which part of the castle he was actually in. The walls and floor were all made of the same stone as the rest of the castle, and he couldn't see any portraits or classrooms that looked familiar. Sighing, he placed his hands into his pockets and began walking back down the hall he had apparently come from, hoping that he would eventually find a familiar corridor. As he walked his thoughts returned to what he was beginning to consider as the worst night of his life. As he moved through the halls he could not help but compare all of the terrible events of his life with this latest one.

Naturally Harry's first thoughts were of when he had only been one year old, and his parents were murdered before his eyes, a story that was world famous before he even knew how to walk. However, until his first encounter with a dementor the previous year he had had almost no memory of how it had happened. In fact, he had spent most of his life believing that both of his parents had died in a car crash and had had no reason to doubt that until his eleventh birthday. And while Harry would be willing to give _anything_ to have his parents back, he had too many terrifying moments burned into his memory that he would consider far worse.

At age six Harry had first been told by his aunt to help her with breakfast, and was placed on a stepping stool at the stove in order to make pancakes. While the first several had burned, he had actually been rather proud of himself when he had managed a decent stack and started to take them to the table. Unfortunately, Harry was never allowed to be happy for long while at Number Four. His cousin, Dudley, had had a rare moment where bullying Harry was more important to him than eating. He had stuck out his leg just as Harry was about to reach the table, leading to a shattered plate and a number of still steaming pancakes on the floor.

That was the first time Uncle Vernon broke his arm.

But, Harry thought, as he looked for a familiar portrait or window to regain his bearings, he hardly had any happy memories for the time he had spent at his relative's home. At this point in his life, he had come to accept it. And if anything, things had gotten better after he had finally been told he was a wizard. He had an actual bedroom, and his uncle knew that he could not get away with hurting Harry now that he had people that actually paid attention to him. So while he hated Privet Drive more than anywhere else he had ever been, it was hard to pick out a single moment there as his worst.

He sighed as he finally recognized one of the doors in front of him. A door on the third floor corridor that lead to a small room with a trap door. This was definitely not the way back to Gryffindor Tower, but at least he knew where he was now. He looked around the dusty hallway and tried to figure out how he had gotten so lost. Honestly, he could have made it there ten minutes ago if his mind was not still reeling from the earlier events of the evening. But just seeing the door made him remember another terrible night of his life. The night he killed a man.

Funny, he thought, that no one ever seemed to put it that way. His best friends, Ron and Hermione, had been too relieved to see him alive and well to ask many questions about Quirrell. Moreover, Professor Dumbledore had done nothing but praise Harry for his bravery and lament the fact that his friend Nicholas would be moving on. Now that he was a few years older he realized Dumbledore may have downplayed Quirrell's death to protect Harry from dwelling on it. But that didn't change the truth of the matter, because Harry knew that he had killed a man that night.

However, the fact was that Harry had gone after the stone fully expecting something terrible to happen. He had assumed it was Snape that was after the stone, and that all he would be able to do was stall the man until Dumbledore arrived. Harry had been full of adrenaline and too sure that he was right to stop himself to think of the actual consequences of placing himself in danger. When it was all over his group of friends found it easy to feel happy and proud of themselves after the fact, when the danger had passed. He really couldn't compare that night to this one.

Harry stopped and looked down as light splashing sounds echoed along the hallway. His trainers had been walking in almost a quarter of an inch of water for the last several seconds now. He looked around and held back a groan. He had been _sure_ that he had taken that last staircase up from the third floor. Looking down the hall towards the nearest window, he could see the flicker of starlight against the black emptiness of the sky. He could not have been wandering the halls so late that it was past midnight, could he? But he sighed knowing it must be the case. The staircase on the third floor had a habit of taking you the opposite direction on Tuesday's. The Halloween feast, and the following event, completely allowed Harry to forget that it had been Monday before now.

He stopped a moment to lean his back against the cold wall of the corridor, his eyes taking a moment to focus on the wall opposite. It was two years ago to the day that he had been in this hallway following a strange voice that nobody could hear. Two years to the day that he had found a cryptic message painted on that wall in blood. He thought he could see the faint traces of the words still lingering on the ancient stone, but as a torch flickered they seemed to disappear. Just a memory.

As he pushed off the wall to continue his epic journey to locate his own common room, he stopped yet again at the bathroom door. After the night he had it would almost be worth visiting Myrtle and commiserating about how dreadful existence can be. He actually took a step towards it before realizing that it was far too late and that he was already lucky to not have been found wandering the halls. After the night he had had the last thing he really needed was to lose points and give people a reason to hate him even more. He did resolve, however, to come back and make an effort with the wailing ghost. Maybe because he was being reminded how it felt to hate an inescapable situation.

Or maybe because by tomorrow she would be the only one left who would talk to him.

He began to walk back the way he came, making sure to head _down_ the stairs on the third floor so he would end up on the fourth. However, his thoughts were now mostly on the chamber. Another terrible night. Another adventure he dived into headfirst. Another surge of adrenaline helping to push through it. As idiotic as it sounded to himself he could not help thinking he would rather face another basilisk than go through what he did tonight. At least that was a problem he knew how to deal with; stab it with a sword, and convince a phoenix to heal his wounds. Relatively simple compared to what he knew was waiting for him back in the common room.

Did he know though? If it were already past midnight they wouldn't still be up. In fact, it would probably be easiest at this point to just catch a nap by the fireplace than go up to the dorm and risk waking anyone.

Risk talking to anyone.

Harry's steps increased slightly as the idea began to form in his head. Maybe, if it was only a nap, he could get up early and head down to breakfast before anyone got there. He could be out of the great hall before half the houses were even awake, and then go to the library to work on his history of magic essay. He wouldn't have to see anyone until his first class! And he could probably avoid talking during class if he sat close to the professor, meaning that . .

These pleasant thoughts came to a screeching halt when he saw the portrait at the end of the hall depicting a large woman in a pink frilly dress, snoring quietly against her picture frame. The Fat Lady was the entrance to Gryffindor tower, the house of the brave. Harry knew that if he went through with avoiding everyone then he would just be running away. Not a very brave thing to do. Moreover, how long would he have to keep up with it? He wouldn't be able to avoid his entire school for the full term.

His footsteps stalled once again as he inched down the hallway, his eyes darting along the walls subconsciously seeking a different way his feet could carry him. But Harry Potter knew that his long night of wandering was over. It was a very short hallway that led to the common room. He couldn't escape it any longer. As he continued to search for a distraction he focused on the only thing left to look at, the portrait of the Fat Lady. She was not very young, but he would not call her old either. He did not know enough about magical portraits to know if she had to have been a real person, or if some artist had just decided to paint a large woman that day. Her eyes were closed as she continued to snore, her head resting on a gold curtain in her painting.

This actually did stop his movement for a few moments. He remembered his first time seeing her on his very first evening at Hogwarts. He was amazed that the portraits could move, talk, and act as if they were real people. But he remembered vividly the Fat Lady, with her light pink dress, complimented by the deep red curtains that surrounded her. Harry felt briefly confused, as he could not understand how or why a person would go through the trouble of changing the curtains inside of a portrait. However, his confusion only lasted for a moment before he recalled the events of the previous Halloween. He had been shocked to enter the hallway and find it packed with people standing in front of a shredded painting. They must have had to repaint the entire background before moving her back into it. He reached out and lightly ran his finger down the curtain, where he knew it had once been cut, amazed that for all its grand appearance it still felt like normal canvas.

"Sirius." He whispered softly to himself.

"Uuurrh noh admittensh" the Fat Lady mumbled in her sleep.

Harry startled slightly and stepped back, worried that he had woken her. He remembered that the Fat Lady and her friend Violet sometimes drank heavily during feasts, and he was not looking forward to being the one to wake her. However, after a few moments of brief silence her soft snoring was once again filling the corridor. Harry sighed and relaxed his body, walking up to the portrait again, his eyes lingering on the area he had been touching.

In all honesty, he hadn't had much time think about Sirius since the end of last year. He wanted to know his godfather more, having only really had one brief conversation with the man. But it was too dangerous to contact him, and Harry wasn't even completely sure that Hedwig would manage to find him. Brilliant as she was, the man was in hiding and he doubted just sending him a letter would work. Harry recalled the all too brief time where he thought he might finally get away from the Dursley's and live with someone that would actually care about him. But even if he couldn't live with the man, the fact that he had helped Sirius get away with his soul intact lifted Harry's mood slightly.

That woke Harry up slightly. If he was thinking fondly of his time near dementors then he really was having a terrible night. He moved up to the portrait as quietly as he could and stood on the ends of his toes carefully. Fred and George had told him about this trick over the summer but it was his first time trying it for himself. As long as the Fat Lady heard the password, and wasn't awake to protest, the door would open. At least no one would be around to watch if he failed, or worse, think he was trying to kiss a portrait. Craning his neck, he whispered softly towards the ear of the Fat Lady.

"Balderdash."

"Thash wah I shed." Mumbled the woman as the portrait swept inward.

Harry gave a relieved sigh that, at the very least, he would not be getting the normal verbal abuse that comes with coming in after curfew. But now was the moment he had been dreading the entire night, and the reason he had not returned to the tower. Knowing his friends and his house he had a very good idea what would be waiting for him inside, even this late. There would be remnants of a party, that he knew. The house of the lion would take any chance they could get to throw one, and as far as most of them were concerned this would be something to celebrate. Despite the time, at least one of his friends would be waiting for him, though he hoped there would be two. Hermione would be reading a book at this point and twisting the ends of her hair into knots. Ron, if Ron was even there and still willing to talk to him, would be asleep on the sofa nearest the fire. But Harry felt he wouldn't care if he was awake or not, if Ron was there after waiting hours then it would mean they were still friends.

Normally Harry would never even have to wonder if he and Ron Weasley were still friends, they had been best mates since their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express, and Ron had stood by him through every one on of his adventures. But a few hours ago, at the Halloween feast, the Goblet of Fire had decided to spit out Harry Potter's name and enter him into the Triwizard Tournament. Harry couldn't believe that something was happening to him _again_. He had been excited for the tournament as something that he could enjoy with his friends together for once, and not exist in a perpetual state of life or death for most of the school year. Instead, he watched his best mate's face turn to one of anger and betrayal as Harry was forced to go to the other champions. Ron had always had a small jealous streak of Harry's fame and fortune, and Harry was fairly sure this was the last straw for him.

Harry gathered up his Gryffindor courage as he squared his shoulders and walked forward. Even if they were angry, even if they hated him, even if they hexed or cursed him, Harry hadn't done anything wrong. In time . . . eventually, he hoped he would manage to convince them of that. As he moved through the passageway the warmth of the fireplace and familiar smells reminded him that, more than any place in the world, this was his home and where he belonged. Nothing, not this tournament, his classmates, not even his friends would change that. Harry Potter was ready for anything.

He entered the room and stopped dead in his tracks. As the Fat Lady swung back into place behind him, Harry Potter only had time for one thought.

" _Well . . . I wasn't ready for this."_

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

I'm going to be writing out my thoughts at the end of each chapter, sort of like director's commentary. They will be spoiler free, but feel free to skip them. They are mostly my own musings and I think the only ones interested will be other fanfic authors. I also might answer reader questions that I don't feel need to be in the author's notes.

This chapter wasn't actually the first thing I wrote when I decided to do this story. I wasn't sure if I wanted to do such a big project, and it had been years since I had written with any regularity. But there was a chapter in my head that just would never leave me, and I decided to sit down and write it for my own benefit. When I was done and reread it I found out that I actually thought it was pretty good. Good enough that I didn't want to keep it to myself. That chapter will be chapter three, and I sure hope you like it the way I did.

A lot of stories skip an introduction chapter that goes over Harry's previous adventures. I understand that, obviously if you have resorted to fanfiction you probably know his story backwards and forwards by now. But I already knew I wanted Harry to feel lost in this first part, and it just seemed like a natural fit for him to think back about his earlier years.

Also the brick wall line makes me giggle.


	2. 02: The Golden Trio

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better write.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

* * *

Chapter 2: The Golden Trio

Harry Potter did not consider himself particularly smart, or at least not any cleverer than most people that he knew. However, he still thought he understood the few people he knew a decent amount. Neville Longbottom was a nervous boy with a heart of gold and a heap of potential, he just needed help realizing it. Professor Flitwick wouldn't mind if you joked during his class, so long as you still paid attention and didn't disrupt anyone. And Snape was a git. But comparing his expectations a moment ago to what he was seeing now made Harry think that he really never had a clue about how anything worked.

The first thing that caught Harry's attention when he entered the common room was that besides being much darker, it looked as it did before he had gone down to the feast several hours earlier. There were no streamers, or banners, or empty butterbeer bottles laying around. No signs of snacks or music, or anything else out of the ordinary. It didn't look like there had been any sort of celebration at all. Harry might have assumed that the house elves had managed to clean the place before he arrived, since it was now after midnight and they would have had plenty of time. But he knew that Hogwarts house elves prided themselves on doing their job unseen, and there were people still in this room.

Hermione had a thick and worn looking book clutched firmly in her hands, at least that was something he had expected. However, her sprawled out on the large sofa using it as a pillow caught him by surprise. She wasn't snoring from what he could tell, which was truthfully not a lot since her hair had decided to cover her face. But the room was nearly empty and it was easy to hear her steady breathing and see her chest rise and fall even from the entryway.

Ron was standing next to her near an armchair that he had clearly just vacated in a hurry. To Harry's surprised he seemed wide-awake, and rather than the look of furious anger he was expecting it was one of worry, and maybe relief. He was still wearing his robes, something Ron rarely did around the common room, and his hair looked like it had lost a fight with the Whomping Willow. Harry was just able to catch the slight redness under his eyes as he quickly approached, but further inspection was foiled by the crushing hug his red headed friend engulfed him in.

"Harry, mate, where have you _been_!?"

Harry was shocked. He considered Ron Weasley a close friend, his best friend even, but they weren't very physically affectionate. In fact, Harry Potter was able to count the number of hugs he had received in his entire life on both hands. If you excluded the ones given to him by Mrs. Weasley, he could do it on one. But here was Ron, who he was sure would hate him by now, giving him one of those rare hugs. All he could manage to do was give him a soft pat on the back.

Harry wanted to respond to Ron, he really did, but at that moment he found himself completely speechless. Hermione taking a nap while there was a book to read had caught him off guard, and Ron striding across the room to embrace him not only surprised him, but completely stopped Harry in his tracks. But this wasn't what had Harry speechless, it was the room's third occupant that left Harry's mouth slightly ajar and unable to form words.

Sitting in the opposite armchair wearing a night robe of midnight blue with tiny stars that seemed to really twinkle, and a long slumped over night cap with a fuzzy depiction of what Harry guessed could only be the moon at the end, was Albus Dumbledore smiling warmly towards him. His hands were wrapped around what seemed to be a cup of tea, and his legs were covered by a warm red and gold polka dotted blanket. Harry looked at him strangely for a moment while he attempted to get his mouth to work again. However, Professor Dumbledore simply shook his head and nodded towards the friend whose arms were wrapped around him.

After a moment Harry finally managed to close his open mouth and start coming out of the daze he had been in since his name had been called earlier that evening.

"Ron? What's going on? I thought you would . . . " Harry just managed to stop himself from saying "hate me", but couldn't recover fast enough for Ron not to notice the pause. He pulled away from Harry, quickly rubbing his nose with the back of his hand, and gave him a stern look.

"That I would what?" Ron said confusedly.

Harry had spent the last few hours thinking of a hundred different terrible scenarios for when he next saw Ron, but none of them had started like this. In fact he couldn't think of one that hadn't at least started in some form of shouting. Not wanting things to turn that way he tried to find the most diplomatic, yet honest, way to let his best friend know how he felt.

"When my name was called you looked . . . Ron you looked so angry at me . . . "

Ron's brow furrowed slightly as his ears began to change to a familiar red. Harry was sure this was where the yelling would start, and frantically began going over each of the scenarios he had thought up to handle this reaction. But instead Ron clenched his fists and took a slow breath.

"Harry, I wasn't angry, I was right furious. But I wasn't furious at _you_ , I was pissed off that it was another bloody year where something terrible was going to happen to my best mate, just because fate seems to get off on it or something I suppose. Oh, er, sorry Professor."

"I apologize Mr. Weasley, I was momentarily distracted by the fire, did you happen to say something?" Dumbledore said, a small smile on his face and a clear twinkle in his eye. "I would, however, recommend you keep your voices down. Unless of course Miss Granger is the type of person who enjoys being awoken by loud noises. Personally on the right occasion I find it to be rather exciting, sometimes I will ask Fawkes to . . ."

"Professor!" Harry whispered across the room, taking a moment to look at his sleeping friend. Hermione was still lost under a curtain of frizzy hair, clutching the book her head was resting on. After a moment of silence Harry could hear her steady breathing, and he breathed a small sigh of relief. He had found Hermione sleeping in the library once last year, when she was still taking every available class, and had discovered exactly what happens when she is woken suddenly. He now had a much less famous scar on his backside to remind him, and he would rather not have another one.

Dumbledore smiled apologetically, eyes still twinkling, and took a small sip of his tea. Harry had a thousand questions for the headmaster running through his head, but he knew that it could wait another few minutes. Turning back to Ron, who had also been watching Hermione carefully, he took a deep breath and asked the question he had been avoiding all night.

"Ron don't you . . don't you blame me? Don't you think this is my fault?"

Ron's eyes snapped from Hermione to Harry, and he could see the confusion brewing behind them.

"Mate, why would I blame you? You didn't ask for this."

"But I was saying just the other day how it would be cool to be a champion, and now I am one. Every year something happens to make me the center of attention at school, and the one year it looks almost guaranteed not to happen I'm suddenly in this tournament. I just thought . . . I guess I assumed everyone would blame me." Harry said, while looking down at his trainers. He could see they were still slightly damp from the second floor hallway.

Ron was quiet for a moment. Harry didn't want to look up and see what kind of expression he had on his face, but was forced to when Ron started talking again. His ears were slightly red again, and he could hear the underlying anger Ron was trying to hold back.

"Well . . you're not wrong about that last part. A lot of people do blame you. The second the ceremony was over I could hear people all over calling you a cheater, saying you had used dark magic to get a place as the fourth champion. Bloody chamber of secrets all over again. But, I could never think that you entered the tournament like that."

Harry had to stop himself from falling to the floor in both relief and shame. Ron was still his friend, he believed him and was on his side. Knowing of Ron's jealous streak, and seeing that look of anger on his face had convinced him that he would lose his best friend tonight. He couldn't stop how wonderful and terrible it felt to have been so wrong about his best friend.

"Ron . . " Harry started, trying his best not to sound too choked up. "You're my best friend. As long as you and Hermione trust me that's all that matters. I don't care what the rest of the school thinks."

Ron grinned a bit sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "uh, no offense or anything, but it's not really about trust. I mean, I do trust you!" Ron quickly added, catching the confusion on Harry's face. "But I mean, we've been best friends for years. I know you better than half of my brothers by now. And, well, sorry mate, but you're honestly terrible at keeping secrets. If you had tried to enter the tournament it would have been all over your face." He finished, grinning brightly.

Harry looked at Ron with his mouth slightly ajar. He couldn't tell if Ron was trying to joke or be serious, but Harry didn't care. After hours of worrying himself to death there really was no cure better than Ron Weasley being Ron Weasley. Harry couldn't stop himself from laughing, the stress of the night finally melting away. Ron gave a decent snort as well, all the while Dumbledore continued to twinkle in the corner. Harry moved forward to embrace Ron, but felt awkward having never initiated a hug before. Halfway towards him he stopped, and put out his hand, just as Ron had somewhat tried to meet him in the middle. There was a moment of awkwardness where sets of hands were raised and lowered, or were outstretched. Finally the two friends simply bumped their fists and nodded at each other.

A frustrated sigh could be heard from the sofa. "Pfft . . boys."

They both turned to see a rising Hermione, scowling as she pulled her hair away from her face and squinting against the bright firelight. She still clung to her book as if it were a pillow and sat up against the cushions. Ron and Harry gave her sheepish grins and moved closer. Ron decided to plop down at the other end of the sofa, now that Hermione had given up her claim to it. She gave him a dark look as her body lightly bounced in his wake. Harry took the second armchair opposite from the headmaster, who still had not said very much. However he had spent the entire time smiling, and he seemed rather comfortable, so Harry supposed it would be okay to check in with his second best friend before asking the headmaster why he was here.

"Good nap, Hermione? Sorry if we were too loud." He said with a small grin, while she was still trying to pull her hair back. She blinked a few times towards him, her eyes opening wider each time, but her frown was still present on her face.

"Oh no, it wasn't the noise that woke me. I was dreaming that I lived on a peaceful planet inhabited solely by witches, only to suddenly be invaded by a pair of large trolls." She shot both Harry and Ron a glare. "It honestly wasn't the noise that was bothersome . . . it was the smell."

Both Harry and Dumbledore laughed lightly at Hermione, while Ron frowned seriously and sniffed at his arm. This caused Hermione to smack his shoulder, and finally reveal a small smile. She turned to Harry giving him a superior smirk.

"So tell us, how convinced were you that neither of us believed you, and that you were about to spend the year friendless?" Her smirk turned softer as she spoke, and he could see the concern in her eyes. Ron shifted a bit uneasily, and the headmaster took a sip of his tea while looking into the fire, seemingly content to allow the three students to talk.

"I wasn't . . ." But he wisely ended his sentence as Hermione gave him a look. For his part Harry was feeling a bit embarrassed for running away. From the way these two were acting it was obvious that he wouldn't be going through this alone, and he was ashamed for convincing himself otherwise. But still, a large part of him was happy. His two best friends were going to stay by him, and no matter what happened with the rest of the year he knew he could get through it as long as he had them.

"I was just out wandering and being an idiot, it's not something I plan to do again. Promise Hermione."

Hermione smiled a bit and leaned forward, dropping her overlarge book on the table. It creaked slightly, and Harry could see gold lettering against a black leather cover, but he couldn't read it from here.

"Good book?" He said with a relieved smirk, trying to avoid any conversation about where he had been tonight.

Hermione gave him a sad smile leaning back into the sofa next to Ron.

"Not really no. In fact I would say considering the situation it's an absolutely dreadful read."

Curious now, Harry leaned forward and turned the book around so he could read the cover:

 **The Triwizard Tournament:**

 **1994**

 **Beauxbatons Durmstrang Hogwarts**

"Harry . . . " Hermione started. "It's the rules for the tournament."

"And I believe _that_ . . " came the older voice of the headmaster ". . is where I come in."

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

I didn't know when I wrote this chapter how important it would be to me. I knew ahead of time that I wasn't a fan of Ron turning on Harry, even though how glaringly canon it is. I know a lot of people use the tournament as a chance to cut Ron out of their story, or to bash him endlessly. I've had fun reading those stories too, but those definitely weren't things I wanted to do in my writing. It always felt like a rare misstep in the narrative. Ron seemed closer to Harry than half of his brothers, but he turned on him in a moment. A moment that Ron should have realized Harry had nothing to do with, if he had known Harry at all. It just never sat right with me.

Ron is, in my opinion, easily the bravest character in the series. He doesn't have a tragic backstory, a drive to avenge someone, or really a lot of motivation to do anything. He grew up in a fairly decent household, surrounded by a loving (if overpowering) family, and was fairly comfortable. Harry always felt that it was his responsibility to take action, and Hermione always needed to prove herself. A lot of people say that Ron was "just there", but to me that alone speaks volumes.

Not everyone agrees, that's fine, and there are very valid arguments on both sides. The movie version of him, as well as Goblet of Fire in general, obviously don't help him in any way. For every positive about Ron there is probably an argument against him that I can agree with. But I still remember the helpless Ron Weasley that walked on a broken leg, most likely the worst pain he had ever experienced, to stand in front of his best friend and a crazed murderer. I remember him saying in a completely hopeless and inescapable situation that the only way to get to his friends was over his dead body.

That's the Ron I want to read more about.


	3. 03: The Lion,The Witch,And His Wardrobe

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better write.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Lion, The Witch, And His Wardrobe

Harry turned to Dumbledore, having waited to make sure he still had two friends before starting this conversation. But now that he could give the headmaster his full attention, he wasn't sure where he wanted to start. He had a million questions buzzing in his head right now. Some of them had been asked right after the champion selection, but it had been a lot to handle at the time and he wasn't sure if he should go over them again. Dumbledore, as usual, seemed to be able to read Harry's thoughts and answered for him.

"I am sorry to say that, I have reviewed everything very carefully, and you are in fact the fourth Triwizard champion. And no Mr. Potter . . . there is no way out of it." He finished with a frown, steepling his fingers and looking at Harry over his half-moon spectacles.

Harry deflated somewhat at that. He had assumed nothing had changed since a few hours ago, but when he suddenly saw the headmaster in his common room he couldn't stop that bit of hope from developing in the back of his mind.

"It's not bloody fair!" Ron said, punching a seat cushion.

"RON." Hermione said harshly, giving him a scowl.

"Sorry Hermione, but it's not! Harry didn't do anything, and not only are they making him be in this thing, but he's also _magically_ required!? How can that happen!? I'll say it again, it's not bloody fair!" Ron folded his arms and slumped back into the sofa dramatically, an angry scowl on his face.

Hermione huffed, but her looks softened into a worried frown. The headmaster simply watched without comment, his expression remaining solemn. Harry, in all honesty, was feeling rather good that someone was angry on his behalf. He had grown up in a house where he was constantly told that everything bad that happened was his fault. It wasn't until he had first met Hagrid that anyone seemed to care for him.

"I don't understand professor," Harry confessed, "Not that I don't trust you of course, but Ron is right. How could something like this happen? I'm not talking about who put my name in the Goblet, I mean how can I be forced to compete in the tournament against my will?"

"Unfortunately Mr. Potter, as far as the Goblet knew, you were perfectly willing." Dumbledore leaned forward and handed Harry a small piece of parchment, the edges of which he could see were burned. Harry looked at it and recognized it instantly as the one that came out of the Goblet. Written in a dark ink, somewhat messily, was the name Harry Potter. But now that he had a calm moment to take it in, Harry couldn't help but feel that it seemed familiar.

"Ah." Dumbledore continued. "I can see that you have already caught on. Yes Harry, you may not have entered your name into the Goblet of fire, but you are still the one who wrote it down."

Harry's jerked his head up in surprise. "Professor . . _I_ wrote this? But how, how could it have been placed in the Goblet? The closest I ever got to it was when Fred and George tried to get past your age line."

"That was very foolish of them." Hermione spoke up. "I told them that Professor Dumbledore himself had . . "

"Hermione." Run cut in, placing a hand on her shoulder. She looked back and forth between the other three before closing her mouth and looking back towards the book.

"Harry, tell me, do you keep track of every piece of parchment you put your name on? How many discarded assignments do you think the house elves find every day?" Dumbledore said with an amused look. "It's not your fault if someone decided to search through the bins of the school. Despite what Professor Moody says you cannot maintain constant vigilance."

There was a moment of silence. Harry held the parchment firmly in his hand looking down at it. He knew that Dumbledore was right, but he couldn't help feeling that if he hadn't allowed it to exist then he wouldn't be in this situation.

"But I don't understand why." Harry said, looking directly into Dumbledore's eyes. "Why do the champions have to be _magically_ bound to compete? Why couldn't we have just signed up normally?"

Dumbledore sighed and picked up his tea. "You have to understand Mr. Potter that the tournament is hundreds of years old, when it was first conceived it was a completely different era. Back then both magical and muggle governments were not as well defined as they are now, and in a lot of ways the magical schools held even more influence than the countries they resided in. The truth is that there are not nearly as many wizards as there are muggles, and the several hundred students that make up each school make up a significant portion of the magical population."

Harry thought about this for a few moments. The first time he had been to Diagon Alley he had felt overwhelmed by the number of magicals that he saw filling it. But he reminded himself that in all of London it was still the _only_ magical shopping district in the city. In fact, just before his third year he had practically lived in Diagon Alley for a few weeks, and by the time he left he had come to know almost everyone who worked there, as well as most of the regular visitors. Comparing that to Hogwarts, Harry honestly doubted he could even name every Gryffindor, and he had lived with them for years now.

"Tensions were high" Dumbledore continued, "and the tournament was created as a way for the three schools to compete in a manner that didn't resemble outright war. But they still didn't trust the other schools enough to send students there without some assurances of their safety. After much deliberation . . "

"More like arguing I imagine." Interjected Ron, to Hermione's immediately shush.

"After much _discussion_ ," the headmaster continued with a slight smile "the Goblet of fire was created. Not only does it act as an impartial judge, but it creates a sort of pact between the participating schools. You are not the only one bound by magic to see this tournament to its end."

For the first time Harry noticed how tired Dumbledore seemed. It may have just been the sleeping robes he was wearing, but his shoulders seemed slumped and eyes slightly droopy. Harry had to remember that Dumbledore had been there, hours ago, in the shouting match that had occurred after his name came out of the Goblet of fire. While Harry himself had been wandering in a daze for most of that time, he imagined the headmaster had been much busier.

"It's all in here." Hermione said, pulling the large book back off of the table. "Now, I've only managed to get through it twice . . " Both Ron and Harry rolled their eyes. " . . but it looks like there are a number of legal and magical oaths in effect to protect the schools. " she finished, ignoring the looks of her two friends and addressing the headmaster.

"That is indeed so Miss Granger. Magically the Goblet only goes so far, you see. It really just stops the schools from going into all-out war, which was the main concern when it was originally created. The legal oaths, however, have been added over the years as times have changed. And this year especially the Ministry has gone over much of the rulebook in order to create a 'safer and more modern tournament.' "

Dumbledore finished his explanation by tapping his wand to his tea cup. Harry watched as it quickly refilled and began to steam slightly. As the headmaster took a sip, hiding a small smile, he said "Of course, if I recall the rules of the tournament of 1704 correctly, it does still force the winning champion to wed the Duchess of Cambridge . . ."

"WHAT!?" Hermione shrieked, her hands quickly shooting to the book in her lap and flying through the pages. Harry caught Dumbledore's eyes, twinkling once more, and both of them did their best to hide their mirth. Ron rolled his eyes again and placed his hand firmly onto the book.

"HER-MI-O-NE."

She looked up suddenly and caught Harry's smile before he could turn his head. Finally processing what had been said she looked at the headmaster and found him holding his tea cup to his mouth, but from the lines around his eyes it was clear he was hiding a smile. Hermione's cheeks pinked lightly and she shut her book with a snap, pulling it close to her chest.

"S . So . . " Harry started, holding back a small chuckle. "What are the _actual_ rules of the tournament? What do I need to know?"

Dumbledore finished his tea and vanished it with a twitch of his hand. His fingers steepled again and Harry saw the tiredness return to his eyes.

"Luckily my boy there is not very much that you need to remember. Most of the legalities and oaths surround the schools and the various ministries, not the champions themselves. There are only a few points that you need to remember. First of all, you need to appear and participate in each of the three tasks set down for the tournament."

The three teens quickly nodded, this seemed to be a rather obvious rule.

"You may forfeit a task, but only after putting forth 'your best effort to complete it'. Unfortunately what that means exactly is up for interpretation, as the original notes on the Goblet's creation have been lost to time. In past tournaments many believed it was to prevent anyone from changing their mind and forfeiting all of the tasks. This was meant to bring glory and goodwill towards each school, after all."

Hermione, Harry noticed, had pulled out a quill and started to frantically write down what Dumbledore was saying. Again he found a warmth in his chest that one of his friends would go through the trouble of worrying so much about him.

"Secondly as the tournament places an undue stress on the minds and bodies of the champions you are exempt from all tests, including those at the end of the year. You may of course still choose to take the tests, if you are so inclined, to attempt to receive another grade. However for any of the others you will automatically receive a grade of Acceptable."

"ACCEPTABLE!?" Ron and Hermione both said at the same time. Ron had done a sort of fist bump, and looked as happy as he did before a game of quidditch. Ron always dreaded thinking about his grades, as he had trouble turning in his assignments on time. Hermione had gasped, her mouth still hanging open, and looked scandalized. He remembered she had been mistakenly handed a paper marked Acceptable once by Professor Sinistra and she had almost burst into tears.

Harry grinned at the two of them, wondering how he had managed to make two best friends that were so opposite from each other. Harry himself had learned long ago not to care much about his grades. It wasn't as if he had anyone to show them to. But he was still happy to hear that exams weren't something he would have to worry about this year.

"Yes, well." Dumbledore continued, keeping a very close eye on Harry's reaction to the next piece of news. "In that vein of thought, the third item I should tell you about is that the champions are allowed to drop any courses that they wish . . . without penalty."

The students sat there motionless in complete shock for several long moments. The clock in the far corner of the room ticked softly, but they could each hear it as if it were a drum beating loudly next to them. As usual, Hermione and Ron found their voices at the same time.

"WHAT!?"

"WHAT!?"

"Headmaster, how is that even possible!? Harry is only a _fourth_ _year_ s _tudent_!" Hermione said while seemingly trying to pull out her own hair. The professor gave her a quick look before returning his gaze to Harry.

"The rules for the tournament, I remind you, were designed for those who had already reached their majority. At Hogwarts that would mean, at the youngest, a student who had already completed their O.W.L.'s.. The rule was actually added due to the term structure of Beauxbatons, you see, as they have more elective classes. However, for the tournament the rules apply to all of the schools in the interest of fairness." Dumbledore explained simply.

Harry was dumbfounded, he didn't even hear his friends shouts. He was only a _fourth_ year student, but he could drop any of his classes? That wouldn't normally even be an option for him for another two years. He was behind the other champions, too far behind, but if he could clear enough of his schedule . . .

Ron and Hermione were frantically bickering about what this meant for Harry, every few seconds shooting a question at the headmaster. The headmaster, however, wasn't looking at Ron and Hermione. He was staring intently at Harry, watching the young man process this information. He wanted desperately to advise Harry on this matter, but he knew that this was a decision that Harry would have to make for himself, and he refused influence it. He hoped that the young man would make the right choice, rather than the easy one.

Suddenly Harry's gaze refocused and he found the headmaster's eyes. He was slow to rise, his legs tired from his long walk out in the halls, but he seemed to shake off the weariness and walk over to where Dumbledore sat. Ron noticed first and stopped arguing with Hermione, who noticed this strange tension a few moments later.

"Headmaster Dumbledore."

Dumbledore smiled evenly and nodded his head. "Yes, Mr. Potter?"

Harry took a slow breath. "I would like to formally drop Astronomy, Divination, and . . ."

Harry paused, warring with himself. He desperately wanted to say Potions. To never have to guard his cauldron from Draco Malfoy throwing in extra ingredients, or having to go to the hospital wing because Neville Longbottom had added an entire bottle of ashwinder eggs, or to eat lunch and realize he still had newt guts under his fingernails. But more than anything he wanted to get away from Severus Snape. The man who took points away for breathing, and spoke about his father like he was mud at the bottom of his shoe. To never be in a class with him again would be worth almost _anything_.

Harry clenched his fists as he looked down at Albus Dumbledore, who was still waiting patiently for him to continue.

" . . . and History of Magic, sir."

Dumbledore couldn't keep the pride out of his eyes as he nodded back to the young man.

"Very well Mr. Potter. Make good use of your extra time, for you will need every moment."

Harry nodded and returned to his seat, unclenching his fists as he breathed out.

" _Potions is too important of a subject."_ Harry thought.

"HARRY." Cried Hermione. "You can't just drop a third of your course load!"

"Yeah mate!" Ron interjected "You can drop as many as you want, why did you stop there?"

Harry was sure that the look Hermione Granger gave Ronald Weasley at that moment would make a dementor flee the country. Unfortunately, Ron was looking at Harry and didn't notice and continued to voice his opinion.

"I mean, why didn't you say _Potions_! Blimey, it's the absolute worst class we have. And it's not like we're getting a ton of useful information from Herbology. Er, sorry professor, I mean I love Hogwarts it's just that . . "

"Quite alright Mr. Weasley." Dumbledore replied, looking very pleased with how things had turned out. "We cover a wide range of courses that, naturally, do not all cater to each individual. Astronomy is a delightful subject, but is really more of a support course for Herbology, Potions, and Divination. Divination itself _can_ be a rather interesting subject, but is not practically useful if you do not have the abilities of a seer."

Dumbledore drew his wand and waved it towards the fireplace, which had started to dim, they watched as small flames sprang to life amongst the embers.

"As for History of Magic, well, as important as I believe the subject is I can see why it would not be as practically important to Mr. Potter. And unfortunately I would agree that or current course is . . . not as robust as it should be. If only Headmistress Wilkins had not tried to introduce tenure . . . " he said, looking off into the distance dreamily.

They waited a few moments for Dumbledore to speak again, but when it didn't seem to be happening any time soon Hermione spoke up.

"Professor? Professor Dumbledore? Is there anything else that Harry needs to know?"

"Oh!" Dumbledore said, blinking slightly. "Yes, yes. The last thing is simply that none of the staff involved in the tournament may help you prepare for the tasks. That includes the tournament organizers, and any of the schools professors. Durmstrang introduced that rule in 1462 to try and hinder the Beauxbatons champion. This means, Mister Potter, that if you wish to prepare for your challenges you will have to rely on your friends . . " He paused a moment to nod to Ron and Hermione, who smiled back proudly. ". . any other students you wish to enlist, and I recommend that you do. And any tutors that you may want to hire to fill your newly free schedule."

Dumbledore suddenly stopped and smiled at Harry. "In fact I may know at least two individuals who would be very willing to help you. Allow me to reach out to a few people, and I will let you know who seems interested.

Harry wanted to know who he could possibly have in mind, as Dumbledore was most likely the most famous wizard in the entire world. But the headmaster seemed ready to move on.

"Well it is getting late. Are there any further questions you wish to ask me tonight?" Dumbledore said as he scanned the three students.

They each looked at each other silently. Harry felt like there was more that he needed to know, but he couldn't think of any questions to ask. He looked over and saw Hermione's eyes dart back and forth as if she was reading from a full list of questions she couldn't decide from.

Ron, however, was the first person to speak "Sir, sorry, but . . why would anyone even want to do this to Harry? We don't even have our O.W.L.S. yet. No offense mate, but it's going to be tough for you to win." He said with a half-smile.

"Ron" Hermione said in an undertone, coming out of her concentration. "They probably want Harry to lose. Badly. People . . . " she sniffed softly and continued in a whisper. "People die in this tournament."

Ron's face paled somewhat, while Harry's turned a slight shade of green. The headmaster simply nodded gravely.

"Miss Granger is, as usual, most likely correct in her assumptions. Though the Ministry, as well as the schools, have worked hard to make the competition far less dangerous than it has been in the past, the fact remains that the challenges are designed to test witches and wizards at the _end_ of their school lives." He caught Harry's eye and gave him a piercing look. "There are a number of dark wizards who still see Harry Potter as a symbol to fight against. If they saw this as their chance any one of them could have found a way to put your name into the Goblet. The protections I placed around it were meant to ward off school children, not fully adult wizards. They had to be like that, in order to allow access to the Goblet if there had been any problems."

The headmaster took off his spectacles and sighed heavily into his hand.

"I have failed you again Harry Potter."

Harry immediately sat up and opened his mouth, but was stopped from commenting as the aging headmaster held up his hand.

"When James first laid you into my arms on the day that you were born I swore I would do all that I could to protect you. And when I saw you enter the great hall for the first time I already knew I had failed. Oh I found a humble boy who saw the wonder of magic, just as I had hoped. But I also saw one that found it hard to smile, who had trouble understanding his teachers, was far too thin, and had difficulty making friends."

"Sir wait." Ron said, seemingly offended. "Harry and I have been best mates since we first met on the express! Ain't that right Harry?"

Harry nodded, having had a similar thought.

Dumbledore turned to Ron and gave him a somewhat sad smile. "And tell me Mr. Weasley, did Harry come up to you and strike up a conversation? Did he shake your hand and ask if you were excited for school? Or did you find a boy alone in a compartment and decide to save them from their loneliness by offering them your friendship?"

Ron's ears turned slightly pink and he looked down at his shoes. Hermione smiled and rested her hand on top of his. Harry, who had never thought of it that way, couldn't help but smile quietly.

"And, do forgive me Miss Granger, but it should have taken far less than an incident with a troll to gain you your second friend."

Now each of the students lowered their heads, hiding their grins. They never had talked about that first adventure that had made them friends. At the time Harry was sure he would never find himself in a more dangerous situation. Now though, well, he could look back on it fondly.

Dumbledore's smile turned serious once more as he waited to meet Harry's gaze again

"I failed you when I sent you to your aunt and uncle. They were your last closest living relatives, and beyond the wards I had needed your aunt's presence for, it still seemed like the most obvious place to send you. There were other options, of course, but at the time it seemed like the only ones who would treat you like family would be . . . well . . . family."

Harry stirred uncomfortably in his seat and looked down again. It was a bit hard to hear someone talk about the Dursleys as Harry's family. They had made it quite clear when he was young that they would prefer to have no relation to him at all, and he had long ago started referring to them as his "relatives" or the "Dursleys". Not family.

Never family.

"You arrived at Hogwarts more as someone who was escaping a terrible life, than someone about to start a new adventure. And every year since your arrival you have found yourself in some form of danger. Danger that I should have protected you from, as headmaster of this school, . . and as someone who cares for you. I . . Harry Potter, I apologize _most_ sincerely for my mistakes."

Dumbledore slowly and solemnly bowed his head towards Harry. Harry, not for the first time tonight, was taken aback. Despite how large a part Albus Dumbledore played in his life, this was only their fourth conversation of any significant length, and by far the longest. But never had the man acted as serious as this, not even after the death of Professor Quirrell. Harry wanted to argue that Dumbledore had nothing to be sorry about, but couldn't find it within himself to do it after such a heartfelt apology.

Harry held the edges of his chair and bowed his head slowly back towards the headmaster. He began to feel a slight sting around the edges of his eyes, so he kept his head turned towards the floor. He didn't know why, but it suddenly felt like many small weights were being lifted off of him. He hadn't believed he could ever blame Dumbledore for the terrible things that had happened to him around the school, but clearly there was a part of him that had.

Dumbledore and his friends sat silently for a few moments as Harry composed himself, shaking his head so no one would see if any tears had formed. It wasn't until Harry had calmed down that Dumbledore began to speak again.

" _However_. Ever since you have come to Hogwarts my boy, I can't fully express how impressed I have been." Dumbledore smiled brightly, bringing Harry's attention back to the conversation. "Almost all of your professors have told me how quickly you understand new spells, and the enthusiasm you show for any wandwork. Not to mention your exceptional skills on the quidditch pitch. Whether you realize it or not Mr. Potter most students, students from other houses, even older students, have come to see you as a leader."

Harry was shocked by this declaration. People made fun of him all the time, and he barely even talked to most of his housemates. He had even lost the quidditch cup last year because he hand fainted at the end of a match. He turned to Ron for support, only to find him nodding his head seriously to Dumbledore's words.

Hermione saw the look of confusion on Harry's face. "Harry, surely you've noticed? Everyone looks to you. Now, yes!" she held up a hand to stop the argument she saw approaching "a lot of them tell rumors and talk poorly about you at times. But that's only because they spend so much of their time _looking_ at you. Last year especially, everyone seemed to think you were going to be murdered by a madman in-between classes!"

Hermione huffed indignantly as Ron sat up to chime in.

"And of course, chamber of secrets and all that stuff mate. Yeah, they thought you were a dark wizard for most of the year because you can . . . well you know." Ron wiggled his arm and made a strange hissing sound, gaining him a smack from Hermione and a grin from Harry.

"But Harry, you saved Ginny's life. Everyone knows that. My brothers made _sure_ everyone knows that. None of us shut up about you for a week, telling people what a hero you were. Never where you could hear o' course, because you . . . don't like that stuff . ." Ron looked away, his voice trailing off. Harry turned to Hermione who was now worrying the ends of her hair again.

"The point is Harry, everyone always want to see what you are doing, where you are going. Are you the hero people claim you are, a normal student, or a dark wizard? Even when they think they are against you, they still want follow you and see what happens."

"Interestingly," Dumbledore began while tugging on the moon of his hat absentmindedly. "I can't recall a time where we had so many students signed up for Divination. Professor Trelawney had to order ten times the normal amount of crystal balls." He paused when he caught Harry's incredulous look. "Well my boy, it was always seen as a rather wooly subject, you know. If I recall, until last year the largest class size she had ever known was a class of five."

"Professor Dumbledore, if I may ask, if that is the case then why do we even have the class?" Hermione asked timidly.

"Actually Miss Granger, I had been considering dissolving the class completely when our previous instructor retired. I only agreed to interview Professor Trelawney as a curtesy. As it happens, during the interview something extraordinary happened!"

"Really?" Hermione asked, sounding surprised. Ron too perked up, looking interested. It was only Harry that had a faint idea what the headmaster might mean. It was just last year, when he was alone with the divination professor, that she seemed to have made a real prophecy.

Dumbledore smiled. "Yes. You see just as we were finishing the interview she told me that she had had a vision, and that if I did not hire her on the spot then Hogwarts would be doomed forever! Well, what was I to do other than offer her the position?"

Hermione's mouth hung open as she stared into the headmasters smiling face. Harry made sure to hide his smile. He wasn't quite sure he believed what Dumbledore had said, but he wasn't going to tell her that.

Before Hermione could recover Dumbledore spoke again. "Well now. I very much doubt this will be the last discussion we have this year, but it is extraordinarily late. As headmaster of Hogwarts, I must insist that we all get to bed." Dumbledore stood, and waved his wand, vanishing the blanket that had been around his legs, and moved over to Harry, who stood to meet the headmaster. It was only now that Harry noticed that on his feet were a pair of overlarge fuzzy purple slippers, which seemed to embody some form of creature.

It had large yellow buttons for eyes, a crooked smile, and two large uneven horns on the sides that seemed to somewhat fold in on themselves.

"Nice slippers, professor?" Harry couldn't help but ask.

As usual Dumbledore smiled broadly in response. "Why thank you Mr. Potter. A Christmas gift I received last year from one of our young Ravenclaws. Incredibly comfortable, and in my favorite color."

As Dumbledore moved towards the portrait hole Harry could see small poofy tails sewn into the backs of the slippers that seemed to bounce whenever the headmaster took a step.

" _Only Dumbledore."_ Harry thought.

At the last moment the headmaster turned and looked at the teens in the room seriously.

"Stay strong, the three of you. And if you need me you may come to my office at any time. I would prefer to have at least one more talk like this before the first task . . " He paused and gave them each a sleepy smile. "But we can worry about that later. Miss Granger. Mister Weasley. Mister Potter." He nodded at each of them as he said their names, stepped out the portrait hole, and then he was gone.

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

This was the first chapter I wrote. In retrospect it's hard to imagine why Dumbledore was so passive in Harry's adventures, but I suppose at the time he was always hoping for the best and that he would find a way to deal with things without getting him involved. The tournament was always the point where I think Dumbledore should finally have stepped in to really be there for Harry. So let's find out where the story goes when he is a more active participant.

A lot of fics bash Dumbles, mostly because it's easy to poke holes in what originally started was a children's story. I've gone back and forth on him over the years, but ultimately I realized that JK wrote him to be a hero, and so that's what he is. Everything else is just us over analyzing and over thinking him. Besides, even if it isn't the norm for fics, I love the idea of a caring and more active Dumbledore in Harry's life.

I hope you liked the slippers. I won't rush things, but I will endeavor to get our favorite girl into the mix as soon as I feel it works. I can't wait.


	4. 04: Party Favors

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better write.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

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 **Special Calendar Note:** A reader let me know that in Goblet of Fire the Halloween feast was set on a Saturday, not the Monday it actually should have been on in 1994. However, as continuity is very important to me, I have decided to keep Halloween on Monday, that way if any other issues arise we can all reference the real calendar rather than try to figure out what it was in the books.

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Chapter 4: Party Favors

There was a long silence that followed the headmaster's departure. Harry couldn't help but wonder _why_ he had been here. Usually the headmaster only came to Harry at the end of some terrible event in which he and his two friends managed to save the school, while simultaneously breaking most of its rules. But this time, the very night that something had happened, Dumbledore had been here. Been here undeniably _for_ Harry.

A small amount of anger welled in a part of him as he thought that. Why _now_? Why _this_ time? Why wasn't he there to help Sirius, to fight the basilisk, to protect the stone? But he shook those feelings away almost as soon as he felt them. Dumbledore was a powerful figure, but Harry knew that he wasn't omnipotent. Whenever he had been made aware of and danger the headmaster had always tried his hardest to get to him as quickly as he could. And tonight he had arrived so quickly that it had taken the boy completely by surprise.

Harry let out a long breath before turning back to his friends, both of them still staring at the place Dumbledore had just been. He walked back over to the two of them, rubbing the back of his head. "I kind of can't believe that happened."

"Hermione and I couldn't bloody believe it either when the headmaster walked in and began talking to us. I mean . . he's Dumbledore, and we're . . "

". . Great friends to talk to." Harry completed, beaming a smile at them. Ron and Hermione both grinned, Ron puffing out his chest while Hermione had a slight blush.

Harry stretched a bit and looked wistfully across the room towards the staircase, atop which he knew his four poster bed was waiting for him. But as he gazed at the silent common room it reminded Harry of something he had been curious about when he first entered the room.

"Everything looks so quiet right now. Honestly I'm a bit surprised there wasn't a party." He said, looking around. "I thought we used any chance we had for them, and having a Gryffindor champion would be enough for most people. Most of them wouldn't stop to think about the reason for it of course."

Hermione huffed loudly and pushed herself back into the sofa cushions.

"It's not like they didn't try! We went straight back to the common room with everyone else after the ceremony, and there was _already_ a case of butterbeer out when we got here. I'm a quite concerned how quickly some of the upper years have gotten at conjuring banners. And they must be hiding their drinks down here, they didn't have time to run up to their dorms!"

Hermione held her book tighter to her chest as she scowled. Harry tried to keep a neutral expression on his face, but was grinning at the corners of his mouth. It wasn't that Hermione didn't like parties, but they always seemed to spring up just as she was in the middle of studying. It didn't help that Fred and George used any excuse they could find to throw one. Just the previous week they had thrown a party due to the fact that Neville's pet toad, Trevor, had been found in the greenhouse after having gone missing for several days.

Admittedly, Harry recalled, the party had been worth it just for the Toad Tarts. Even if Trevor did go missing once more during the excitement of the party.

"But wait." Harry realized. "If there was a party then where is the mess? Gryffindor's aren't exactly known for their cleanliness, and even with the house elves it usually takes the common room a few days to get sorted." He took a moment to lean on the chair he had been in and look underneath to see if an empty butterbeer bottle would roll out on its own.

Hermione rolled her eyes at this. "I said they _tried_."

"Yeah." Spoke up Ron. "But Fred and George put a stop to it right away."

Harry blinked, dropping the chair with a small thud. "Fred and George, _stopped_ the party? Why would _they_ do that?"

Both Ron and Hermione looked at each other for a few moments, as if they were having a silent conversation. They did this to Harry every so often, and he knew it meant they were trying to decide if they should keep something from him or not, usually for his own good. Eventually they seemed to come unspoken agreement and turned back to him.

"Well . . " Hermione began. " . . some of the others in the house did _try_ to start a party. They said that the Goblet had decided to break the rules just so there could be a Gryffindor champion. Or that you were magic's champion so of course you would be in the tournament . . ."

"And a few idiots said you had cheated to get your name in the goblet just to give Gryffindor an extra chance for the glory." Ron finished darkly.

Even though Harry had expected people would assume he cheated, it still hurt him to hear about it. The good feelings Dumbledore had left Harry feeling quickly evaporated and his mood turned somber as he looked down towards the floor.

"Yeah." Ron continued. "Fred and George didn't like hearing that either. They said that you found yourself in trouble every year and that it had never been your fault, so it was the house's responsibility to stand up for you. A lot of people, mostly upper years, see Fred and George as goof offs, so they ignored them and kept saying they didn't know a Gryffindor could act enough like a Slytherin to cheat."

Hermione winced and gave Harry an apologetic look. This was obviously what the two of them had wanted to hide from him. Harry remembered the last time the school had decided to call him a Slytherin, and what a terrible year that had been.

"So that was that then, Fred and George weren't going to have any of that so they stopped the party before it could get started really." Ron finished matter-oh-factly.

"Er . . " Harry looked between the two of them. "But how did Fred and George stop the party? The only ways I could think of for them would mean less furniture still in the room and a few more fires."

Ron grinned goofily and puffed out his chest. "Simple mate, they recruited for you. Got up and said they knew you wouldn't have cheated to get in some bloody tournament, and whoever believed otherwise was against you. They said the people who wanted to keep celebrating like your life wasn't at stake would have to 'forcibly eject' your supporters from the room."

Hermione slunk down in her seat and sighed. "That was a very foolish thing for the two of them to do, they could have started a fight, gotten hurt, or even worse; detention."

Harry and Ron rolled their eyes.

"Didn't stop you from standing with them, did it?" Ron leaned over and cuffed Hermione lightly on the shoulder. She smacked his hand away, but was smiling gently.

"Wait, you really had to stand with them?"

Hermione nodded while Ron kept explaining "Oh yeah, a few of the sixth and seventh year chaps didn't like being spoken to like that. They were ready to take Fred and George down a few, and then start their party. But Hermione and I were with them in an instant."

Hermione held up her hand and started holding up fingers. "Ron and I, followed quickly by Neville and Ginny . . "

"Seamus and Dean o' course. Lee Jordan, he always goes along with Fred and George."

"Lavender, Parvati, and even Fay Dunbar who rarely seems to care what's going on."

"The Creevey brothers were falling over themselves to get to our side of the room."

"Most of the first and seconds years did too, actually. Though I am sure a fair amount of them were just following friends."

"Oh and, the entire Gryffindor quidditch team." Ron finished, smiling brightly.

Harry felt like his brain had stopped working. That was a _lot_ more people standing up in his defense than he ever would have guessed.

"Oh!" chirped Hermione "And of course once it looked like there would be a fight, all of the prefects stepped in. They cleaned up and sent everyone to bed right after that."

"They sent everyone else to bed, but let you stay down here?" Harry asked.

Hermione frowned slightly and bit her lower lip. "Well, no, they sent us to bed too . . we just . . came back down."

Harry smiled to himself, remembering that no matter how often Hermione recited the rules she never seemed to have trouble breaking them when she considered it important enough. Ron walked over to Harry and slung an arm over his shoulders in an overly dramatic way, grinning sleepily.

"Couldn't let you come back up here without having your best friends to talk to. That would have been a tragedy. Impossible to know Dumbledore would show up though, or that we'd still be down here so late."

Harry glanced over to the clock on the far side of the table to try and make out the time. Unfortunately the glasses his Aunt had given him didn't allow him to make out the numbers, but even he was able to tell that it was much later than he had thought.

"I'm sorry. I really didn't mean to . . . "

"Harry." Hermione interrupted, pulling herself off the sofa and walking over to them. "There's nothing to be sorry for. We _know_ you didn't enter the tournament, and we're going to be here for you no matter what the rest of the school thinks."

Ron bumped Harry and pulled his arm away. "Yeah mate, we won't hear any rubbish about any of this being your fault. If you even start I'll ask an upper year to curse you. Or worse; Hermione."

Hermione scowled at Ron for a moment, but it was easy to see the corners of her mouth were fighting a grin. Harry felt truly happy to know that these two would be by his side tomorrow when he faced the school.

He wouldn't be alone.

"Actually, I was going to say I didn't mean to stay up this late. We really should head to bed?"

"Yes we _should_." Hermione said, perking up, as if only just remembering that it was the middle of the night. She hopped over to where she had been sitting and picked up the tournament rulebook with both hands, bringing it up into her arms in such a way that it was clearly very heavy. Suddenly, she spun around and gave them each a harsh look.

"I expect to see both of you down here in the morning as usual. Just because we are getting to bed late doesn't mean we get to be lazy . ."

Ron opened his mouth to say something, but was swiftly cut off by Hermione.

" _. . or_ that we should miss going down to breakfast."

At that Ron seemed to close his mouth, either because he didn't want to risk upsetting Hermione, or because he didn't want to risk missing breakfast. The teens moved slowly over to their respective staircases, Harry making sure to give a yawning Hermione a wave, and then parted for the night.

Harry was unsurprised to find the rest of his dorm mates fast asleep when they entered the room, though strangely Neville seemed to have fallen asleep sideways in bed. He wondered if he should bother to put his clothes away properly. Now that his bed was before him his arms felt like lead and his eyes were drooping dangerously, but he didn't want to leave a mess and risk upsetting the others. He turned to Ron to see what he was doing, only to find his friend already in bed, fully dressed.

At that Harry shrugged and piled his clothes on top of his trunk, he could deal with it in the morning. While he put his glasses on the side table he couldn't help think how much better things had gone with his friends than he had expected. He wished he could go back in time, like he did last year, only to tell himself to head straight back to the common room.

Harry knew that he still had the school to deal with in the morning. That there would be people calling him a cheat or a liar, maybe even people that he knew. But having his two best friends stand by him made all the difference. He was sure tomorrow when he saw the school's reaction it would be hard for him.

But at least for tonight, in this moment, he felt as happy as he could be.

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

This is my shortest chapter so far, because I never meant it to be a chapter. I just meant to write a few sentences to get us to the morning, but it somehow turned into several pages. This meant that the fourth chapter was going to be larger than chapters one through three put together! I didn't want that, and I do like a nice chapter break between scenes, so I split it up.

Also, considering what is coming in the next chapter, I thought there could be a little more lead up and details about what the house did that night. If you liked this chapter at all, you are going to adore the next one.

The most interesting thing that happened while I was writing this chapter was that I realized with Harry dropping his classes in the previous chapter that I would actually have to figure out his schedule going forward. It turns out JK was not always perfect with dates or class consistency, so I had to spend two whole days trying to figure out his fourth year schedule. Most people probably wouldn't bother, but I love knowing exactly where Harry or his friends are headed when they get out of a class.


	5. 05: The House of the Lion

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better write.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

* * *

 **New Summary:** I have added an extended summary at the start of chapter 1 so people beginning this story have a better idea of where it will be going. I want readers to know what they are getting into before they invest too much time into it. Though I do hope it is a journey you are willing to follow me on, if it doesn't sound like your type of story I more than understand.

* * *

Chapter 5: The House of the Lion

Harry woke far too soon as he was dragged from the pleasant feeling of a dreamless sleep and back into the waking world. This was not by Harry's choice, but seemed to be the choice of whoever was gripping his shoulder and calling his name. Reluctantly, Harry made what he was sure would be his first mistake of the morning by opening one of his eyes.

Standing hunched over his bed, staring down maybe a foot from his face, was the disheveled appearance of Neville Longbottom. He could make out bright, and therefore painful, streams of sunlight streaking across the ceiling of the room behind him. Neville himself was still in his night clothes, and seemed to still have most of his blankets wrapped around his legs.

Harry groaned and began to sit up, immediately holding his hand over his eyes to give himself some relief from the burning rays of light that seemed to force themselves through the windows.

"Neville? What? What's wrong mate, are you okay?" He said while still trying to get the sleep out of his eyes.

"Harry where _were_ you last night? When did you get back?" Neville said, his voice sounding a bit strained and exasperated.

Harry slowly removed his hand and reached for his glasses while squinting tiredly around the room. He could hear more than see Ron's sleeping form in bed, his snores reverberating softly around the room. Not for the first time Harry told himself how happy he would be in fifth year when they would be learning the silencing charm.

Once his glasses were on he could also see that Seamus was in bed, the number of pillows and absence of visible head was always a giveaway. Seamus was not a fan of Ron's snores in the morning. He had actually tried to learn the charm a year early, but gave up after his first attempt caught the curtains on fire.

But just before Harry turned his attention back to Neville he noticed Dean, clearly wide awake, sitting up in bed with a large book open and eyeing the two of them with interest. Harry had seen him with this book several times over the years and knew it to be his sketchbook. Dean was very good at drawing, having helped with the "Potter for President" banner they used at his first quidditch game. Though generally the only pictures he seemed to share with him were those of Professor Snape, always in some unfortunate situation. Sure enough it looked as if Dean had been drawing when Neville's attempts to wake Harry had grabbed his attention.

"Morning Dean." Harry mumbled groggily with a yawn.

The dark boy smiled from across the room. "Alright there Harry? Neville?"

Harry nodded, but realized that Neville seemed to be still looking at him, concern showing all over his face.

"I'm sorry Neville, after last night I just felt like . . staying away from people for a while. I'm not sure how late I was out, but I doubt I slept for more than a handful of hours. Problem mate?"

At this Neville seemed to deflate a bit and sit down on his bed next to Harry's.

"No problems with me Harry, but are you okay? Last night you seemed to be sick as soon as they said, or, I mean when it happened, you looked . . ."

Neville looked around the floor for a moment as he seemed to look for the right words. Other than Ron and Hermione, Harry hadn't thought someone else would care about his feelings from last night. He knew people would be asking about it for the rest of the day, but he only expected questions about how he had done it, rather than how he had felt about it.

"Well . . I just wanted to make sure everything was alright with you. It's a lot isn't it? I mean I know you have Ron and Hermione, and he wasn't in here last night either so I assumed you already talked. But you know . . I just wanted to make sure you were okay." Neville finished, quietly.

Harry smiled at the timid boy he had met on his first train ride to Hogwarts. His cheeks were a little less round, but he had the same earnest and concerned expression as the eleven year old that had lost his toad. Harry tried his best to grin reassuringly at him.

"I talked with them a lot last night Neville, and honestly I feel just fine now. Thanks for worrying but I'll be okay. I've gotten through worse."

The boy looked back at him slightly in awe for a few moments before nodding slowly.

"I guess you have. But like, you can talk to the rest of us you know."

Neville stood after a moment and started making his way to the loo, kicking away some of the blankets that had accumulated around his legs. He turned and paused for a few seconds to look back at him.

"We're your friends too, Harry."

Harry stared confusedly as Neville disappeared through the doorway, and contemplated what the boy had said. It was clear to him now that Ron wasn't the only roommate who had been worried about him last night, but honestly, Harry hadn't ever considered that anyone else would even notice.

"He was still up when I went to bed you know."

Harry looked up and saw Dean watching him from across the room, his usual friendly smile on his face.

"He said he wanted to make sure you were doing alright. He was still sitting there last I remember."

Harry looked over at Neville's bed and the whirlwind of blankets he had left behind. It was only now that he recalled returning to the room late last night to find the boy draped sideways across his bed. Had he fallen asleep waiting up for Harry? That stirred something inside of him. Part of him felt guilty. He hadn't meant to keep anyone up, but he had already done so with Ron, Hermione, and even the headmaster. He supposed now he would have to add Neville to the list of people who lost sleep over him the night before.

However, Harry thought as he himself began to move towards the loo, a part of him still felt happy to find someone else who seemed to care about him.

Less than an hour later Harry found himself back down in the common room that just last night had hosted Dumbledore. Now, however, it only had a handful of his fellow housemates. Harry was tired and beginning to curse his luck for having stayed out so late, only to be forced awake so early. But he really only had himself to blame, as he would never blame Neville for checking to see if he was okay.

The few Gryffindors already in the room took notice of Harry's arrival, but surprisingly didn't say anything. In fact a second year girl, whose name he didn't know, actually smiled and gave him a bit of a wave. It was true that it was still early, and things were sure to become noisy when friends started to see each other for the first time this morning. But Harry still couldn't shake the feeling that it was too quiet, considering the events of last night.

When the school had decided that Harry was the heir of Slytherin he found few places in the castle where he couldn't hear the whispers of his fellow students, or their low mocking hisses. Now here he was, Hogwarts Champion, a boy who supposedly cheated in an international competition just for attention, and the room was pleasantly silent. He wasn't looking forward to things changing.

He found his usual seat near the fireplace where he had been sitting just a few hours ago. It was November now, but the weather hadn't changed enough to warrant a fire this morning. As Harry sunk down in the plush armchair he finally allowed himself to begin worrying again over the rest of the school.

His house would be the easiest to deal with, but that didn't mean they would be kind to him. While it did sound as if he had a surprising number of allies here, he still knew that the majority of them would consider him as much of a cheater as the rest of the school. The only major difference would be that he knew most of them would care more about having a Gryffindor champion, than how he became one.

The Hufflepuffs, normally the friendliest house towards the Gryffindors, would almost certainly be against Harry. Unfortunately Hufflepuff never received much glory, even though he knew they were worthy of it. Having Cedric chosen as their champion over so many others would have meant the world to them. Now, however, they would have to share the attention with the ever glorified Gryffindors. In fact, knowing Harry's luck and reputation, they might be pushed out of the spotlight completely.

Slytherin would be out for his blood, he didn't have any doubts about that. On a good day he had to watch out for tripping jinxes in the halls, or dung bombs on his chair. But now that they had a Gryffindor representing them in the tournament, well, Harry was hoping Professor Moody had been right when he said students weren't powerful enough to cast the killing curse. He knew his reputation with Slytherin was absolutely dreadful, and he assumed he had Draco Malfoy to thank for that. Or maybe it was simply that Harry had been the cause for so many Slytherin quidditch losses.

The Ravenclaws gave Harry pause though, as he saw them as a bit of a toss-up. They were known as the house that studied and sought out the answers to things they didn't understand. Would they believe it was only logical that Harry Potter would have needed to cheat to enter the tournament? Or would they hold to pass judgement until they had more information? Would they even care about having Harry as one of their champions? The only Ravenclaw he knew anything about was Cho Chang, the Ravenclaw seeker. The seeker whom Harry secretly had had a crush on since the first time he had seen her. But even then the only things he really knew about her was that she was rather pretty. Her hair was long and black, and it seemed to shine when it was out in the sun. The rest of her body was much more . . .

"Starved!"

Harry was broken out of his thoughts as Ron suddenly came into view, throwing himself down onto the end of the sofa nearest Harry. His hair seemed to be arguing over which direction to go in, and he was fairly sure he was wearing the same clothes he had gone to bed in. Never the less, Ron was smiling over to him broadly, even though his eyes seemed to sink down every few seconds.

"All you ever think about is food, Ron." Hermione said in a huff, sitting down next to him.

Harry looked around now that he had been pulled from his thoughts. He was surprised to see that the common room was packed, and a quite a bit of morning chatter was going on. He noticed most of the older members of the quidditch team on the other end of the room, as well as the Creevey brothers whispering conspiratorially with Ginny Weasley, and what looked to be much of the younger years. He didn't have to wonder too hard about the topic of conversation, as their eyes seemed to dart over to his side of the room every few seconds.

"Sleep well Hermione?" Harry said, deciding to focus back on the friends who, like him, were probably wishing they were still in bed.

She smiled at him tiredly and nodded. He noticed that she no longer seemed to have the large tournament rulebook with her, but her book bag looked like it was about to burst. Well, more than usual at least.

"I could have used two or eight more hours, personally." Ron said, yawning widely. "But some breakfast will sure help make this morning a lot more enjoyable."

They each stood up with their bags, Hermione needing an extra second to lift hers, and made a bee-line towards the portrait hole. Harry was only a few feet from it when a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders and managed to turn him back the way he came. He only had a brief moment of confusion as another arm enveloped him, and two identical redhead's marched him back towards the center of the room.

"Harry, Harry, Harry, mate!"

"You can't leave just like that!"

"We have to have words!"

"Open up a dialogue!"

"Make some conversation!"

"And more importantly . . ."

"We really think we need a . . "

"House Meeting!" Fred and George finished together in a shout. Both of them had climbed up onto the low table nearest the fireplace, dragging Harry with them, until all three were head and shoulders above everyone else.

Ron and Hermione had followed them and tried to pull Harry away, but Fred and George were too quick. As Harry looked around he noticed that many of the first and second years were now sitting around them, even though they had not been over here seconds ago when Harry and his friends had been getting ready to leave.

"Clear off, Johnson!"

Harry looked over to see an angry seventh year scowling at the three Gryffindor chasers; Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell, each of whom were now standing in front of the portrait hole that moments before Harry had been attempting to exit from.

Unfortunately the seventh year forgot that the women of the Gryffindor quidditch team had an unofficial fan club. Harry wasn't sure how many stinging hexes hit him at the same time, but from his reaction it was clear they had each aimed for the same region. He sympathetically hoped that the boy had Herbology or Care of Magical Creatures in the morning, so he wouldn't have to sit down anytime soon.

Fred, or maybe George, slapped Harry on the back to get his attention. It looked to him like the entire house had gathered into the common room, something that was rarely done. Compared to an average day where you had those going to bed early, those in Astronomy, and those who were out late in detention, the number of Gryffindors seemed twice as large as normal.

He noticed that some of those looking at him seemed curious, and he was able to make out one or two that were clearly not happy to be standing around so early in the morning. But to Harry's surprise the greater majority of them were smiling. At _him_. Andrew Saxby, a boy he had never spoken to before, gave him a _wink_ , while Anna Mirfield did a thumbs up when he looked towards her. Harry was so distracted that he almost jumped when Fred yelled out.

"Alright Gryffindors! We're having a bit of a gathering in the name of our dear friend, star seeker, and housemate, Harry James Potter here."

"Woo!"

Harry swore that he heard a soft voice cry out from somewhere in the middle of the crowd, but was too distracted by the Weasley twins to look further.

"You see last night, just in case you forgot, dear Harry's name was entered into a tournament against his will, and truly without his foreknowledge." George announced to the room.

"Now while anyone who knows Harry," Fred continued "knows how he dislikes any fame or attention, it behooves us to formally request that the young man explain himself."

"Therefore we will select one of you to ask him the burning question of the hour, in order to get it out of the way." George stated, stepping forward slightly onto the table. "Now let's see . . ."

He pointed out amongst the crowd of Gryffindors, several of whom had started to raise their hands. As he swept his hand slowly across the room a few of the lower years began bouncing on their trainers, trying to get their hands above the heads of those in front of them. But George didn't seem to pick any of them, instead pointing towards a person at the back of the huddled crowd.

"You there, Sir, why don't you ask our friend Harry then."

Harry blinked in surprise as the person George called upon seemed to be Fred, now standing on the opposite side of the room, waving his hand wildly. He looked back to where the boy was just seconds before, and found him missing. When he turned again to look at Fred, he had the distinct impression that the twin seemed somewhat out of breath. His non-waving hand was clutching his side, and though he was smiling brightly it was clear he had to take a few deep breathes before speaking.

"Yes, Fred Weasley here, Sixth Year, of Ottery Saint Catchpole. Mister Potter, I was wondering if you would mind telling me if you did indeed enter yourself into the Triwizard Tournament? And if not, how are we fine upstanding citizens supposed to believe you? Do you have any evidence? An alibi? Where exactly were you on the night of the thirty first, I daresay?"

Harry, caught a bit off guard by Fred's accusatory tone, struggled to find an appropriate response.

"I, no, I didn't but . . "

"Well, that's good enough for me!" Fred cried loudly, slapping the back of the nearest person with a nod.

"Glad we could clear that misunderstanding up Harry." George stated, while firmly planting a hand onto his shoulder. "Not that there was ever any doubt really, considering what a fine upstanding member of the house you are."

"But . . . that . . . " came the voice of a gasping Fred, who had somehow made it around to the table within a few seconds ". . doesn't mean everyone will . . . believe you."

George stepped forward to let Fred catch his breath. "Which means it's our job as a house to stand together, and let them know they are wrong. Gryffindor is the house of the chivalrous!"

"And you can't get more chivalrous than standing up for people who need it!"

"And Harry here, _needs it_."

"We've failed our friend here the last few years, and enough is surely enough, ladies and gentlemen."

"This isn't as simple as the hordes of dementors he drove off last year."

"Or the basilisk he slew the year before that, to save our sister's life."

"It's not even as simple as the troll he took down in his very first year."

Harry tried to shrink back slightly, as he felt his face heat up in embarrassment. Unfortunately he had barely taken a step backwards when he stepped into the bodies of the boys behind him. Fred and George were smiling broadly and seemed to delight in reminding people about his misadventures, even though he had told them many times how much help he had received, and how lucky he had been. But Harry could already tell that their words were having an effect.

Many of the people he was more familiar with, those in his year or that he knew from quidditch, were nodding along with the Weasley twin's words. A few of the older years that had seemed frustrated earlier were starting to give Harry wary glances. But it was the lower years the concerned Harry the most. Colin and Dennis Creevey had managed to work their way to the front of the crowd, and were looking up at Harry with beaming smiles. Similarly he saw many of their classmates looking on at Harry with a look of admiration, or even awe. It was something that Harry didn't feel he deserved, and he tried again to escape behind the two taller boys, only to find their arms firmly keeping him in place once more.

"So we all _agree_ then that we need to keep an eye on Harry out there, yeah?"

"And to make sure people don't treat him improperly because they are under the strange delusion that he entered into this tournament of his own accord?"

"He's been our star seeker since his _first_ year, and he's saved _actual_ lives since then. Harry Potter was our champion before his name came out of a bloody goblet."

"So how about we get some breakfast already and remind the school that Gryffindors stand together!"

Fred and George jumped off of the table as the crowd cheered an agreement. Harry, finally, lowered himself back to the floor. Only when he got there, he discovered a number of hands were there waiting for him. Allison Barnes was patting him on the shoulder, while Kenneth Towler reached out and took Harry's hand, shaking it formally. A couple of first years that Harry didn't recognize shouted over the crowd towards him.

"Come on Harry, you can sit next to me for breakfast!"

"Wait Harry, come with me and my friends, alright?"

Luckily Ron and Hermione had managed to get ahold of him, and were dragging him off towards the portrait hole. He was glad to be with his friends again and get away from the attention the Weasley twins had placed on him. But even though he had just been embarrassed in front of the entire house, Harry was surprised to find both Ron and Hermione _smiling_.

"That was bloody brilliant, that was." Ron commented, as the trio forced their way into a clump of Gryffindors that were exiting the common room.

"Brilliant?" Harry exclaimed "That was a nightmare! Why'd they have to go and do something like that?"

"Oh Harry, you don't understand." Hermione whispered in a calming tone. "The twins just made it so the entire house will say you didn't enter the tournament."

"Hermione, just because they told everyone that . . "

"No, really mate" Ron interjected. "It was really a brilliant opening move I wouldn't have expected from them. They managed to get everyone who supports you front and center, so the others would see them. As well as having the quidditch team at their back, meaning _their_ supporters had their backs as well. Then they made it so that anyone who disagreed would outright be calling you a liar. And after reminding everyone all you have done over the years, and how many people supported you, how that would be a _bad_ idea."

Hermione stepped carefully down to the side of the packed staircase leading to the main floor, doing her best to avoid the throng of their housemates all heading in the same direction, and turned to face him.

"Don't you see Harry? Even if they haven't managed to convince everyone that you didn't enter the tournament, they still managed to convince everyone to _say_ that you didn't. I know it doesn't mean much of a difference to you, but it's going to mean everything when dealing with the rest of the school." She explained.

He wasn't entirely certain that Hermione was correct. Harry liked the other Gryffindors in general, he had known many of them for years. In fact he didn't think he had a single friend that wasn't a Gryffindor. Even the few adults in his life that he would call friends, like Hagrid, or Professor Lupin, were both Gryffindors when they were in school. But even if the others had the same fondness for those in their own house, he doubted it would go so far to change their opinions of him.

Harry suddenly found himself having to stop, as the people in front of him down the hall were no longer moving. He peaked around to see what was holding them up, only to see several prefects milling about at the front of the group, and looking back down the hall they had come from.

When Harry looked back though all he could see was the rest of the house coming down the stairs, and then having to stop in the hallway with everyone else. "Why did we stop?" He asked no one in particular.

Neville, who had apparently been behind the three of them, answered timidly while looking around.

"Didn't Fred and George say we were going to do this together? I thought that's what they said, right?"

Harry's eyes grew wide. Sure enough as he began to look around he saw that everyone seemed to be waiting in the hall for the rest of the house to come down the stairs.

"We're not really going to . . ." Harry had started, when suddenly the Weasley twins jumped the last few stairs at the end of the group.

"All lions present and accounted for!" George shouted, grinning wildly.

"Walk on noble Gryffindors, walk on!" Fred encouraged after him.

As the group began to move forward again Harry felt a surge of conflicting emotions. He felt guilty and embarrassed that all of this was happening because of him. If it could have just been a normal year, then nobody would have had to go through all of this trouble over him. If he could get away he might have thought to skip breakfast and just wait for his next class, but both Hermione and Ron were pressed in on either side of him as the crowd moved.

But the closer they got to the great hall, and Harry had begun to hear the loud talking of hundreds of students, he actually breathed a sigh of relief. Though his guilty feelings still remained he slowly began to realize that he wouldn't be walking in there alone. He wouldn't even be walking in with just Ron and Hermione at his side, which last night had seemed like his best case scenario. Instead Harry Potter was surrounded by people who were standing up for him, and counting him as one of their own. He glanced at both of his friends, Hermione giving him a sympathetic pat on his arm, and Ron smirking encouragingly. Despite his uneasy feelings he couldn't help but smile at them.

He looked forward and squared his shoulders as the first group of Gryffindors started to make their way into the great hall.

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

This was probably the chapter I had the easiest time writing since it involves an issue I have had with the books ever since I was a kid. The Gryffindors are famous for their bravery more than their loyalty, but throughout the books there are plenty of times when they show how united they can be. However what bothered me growing up was their complete lack of consistency. Gryffindors will say "always behind you Harry!" but tend to ignore him on a day to day basis. Where are the older students keeping an eye on the younger ones? Where are the prefects actually doing their jobs? When Harry is physically being tortured during his fifth year Hermione is the only housemate that bats an eye. Not only does that bother me, it doesn't feel realistic.

When I was in college I knew everyone in my classes, I spent dozens of hours a week with those people. Even if you didn't care about them it was unavoidable to know what was going on in their lives and more than a bit about who they were. Hogwarts is a seven year school containing almost a whole generation for an entire country. Half of the students are related to each other, and the other half will probably be related to them after school. How are you not paying more attention to each other?

I'm definitely going to try and get more into house politics and more information about the other houses. I probably won't do anything grand like add more school events or create new places for students to hang out. I would like things to be fairly canonical up until this point, with changes coming as the story progresses. But I still have some fun ideas for how the other houses socialize.

Especially my Hufflepuffs!


	6. 06: The Breakfast Club

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better write.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

* * *

Chapter 6: The Breakfast Club

The first thing that Harry noticed was how full the Great Hall was. The unexpected meeting upstairs must have held them back longer than he thought, and breakfast was clearly well underway. As his housemates entered the hall they split roughly into two lines to move down the sides of the long Gryffindor table. They weren't marching to a rhythm or trying to keep the lines straight, many of them were just talking with their friends, and he caught more than one of them laughing.

However, the fact that the entire house had arrived together was still being noticed. Most likely due to the fact that their table faced the doors of the Great Hall the professor's realized something was different first. Many of them started whispering to each other quietly, some leaning across the table to do so. Professor Sinistra actually got up to cross the room to speak with Professor Vector. For whatever reason Professor Flitwick seemed highly delighted, and Professor Sprout was nodding solemnly. Professor McGonagall only watched them carefully, a small smile resting gently on her face.

Harry's eyes quickly darted to where the potions master normally sat, and was relieved to find him absent. However, before he could turn to his own table he caught a glimpse of the headmaster staring down at him. His hands were folded in front of his face, and he seemed to be resting against them. But his eyes were twinkling merrily, and even from halfway across the room he could see the wrinkles that only appeared when the older man was smiling.

The Slytherin's suddenly became deathly quiet, as it seemed some had finally noticed what was happening. This caught the attention of the other houses, including the students from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons who seemed more amused than anything. Harry wanted to look over and catch a glimpse of Draco Malfoy's reaction, but he assumed he was still the Gryffindor getting the most attention, and he didn't want to give the impression that he cared about what Malfoy thought.

Instead he decided to seek out Cedric, the other Hogwarts Champion. It took until Harry sat down, but he finally found the older boy three quarters down the Hufflepuff table. He was surrounded by what Harry recognized as the Hufflepuff quidditch team, as well as an unusual number of girls who were trying to talk to him.

Cedric, on the other hand, wasn't paying attention to any of the people at his table. Cedric was looking _right_ at Harry. Being caught off guard Harry gave the boy what can only be described as a "sort-of" wave, though an outsider might see it as more of a muscle spasm. The Hufflepuff seemed to smile back bemusedly and gave him a nod before returning to his friends.

He sighed and looked up to see that both Ron and Hermione had sat on either side of him. That wasn't the problem however. The problem was that on the opposite side of the table Neville was surrounded by students who seemed to be doing their best to convince him to leave.

"Come on Longbottom, you're already his roommate."

"Would you slide down so me and my friends could fit?"

But Neville didn't seem to want to move. In fact he was holding onto the table tightly as a few of the older students started to physically push him down the bench.

"Hey guys, Neville's my friend can you leave him alone?" Harry said, raising his voice slightly.

Everyone looked towards him with surprise, though the one seeming to be the most surprised was Neville. But before anyone could react two familiar redheads pushed through the small crowd and slipped into the places on either side of the round faced boy.

"Why thank you brave Sir Longbottom for guarding our seats while we were busy organizing things." Said George.

"Not that there isn't plenty of room next to us, isn't that so brother mine?" Said Fred.

George smiled widely towards the group of huddled students. "Indeed, indeed. And I myself am quite interested to see if our latest creation is undetectable in pumpkin juice. We're aiming to christen it the 'Gas Guzzler'. One drink and for the rest of the day you'll be experiencing an unending amount of . . . "

But the group dispersed too quickly for George to finish his explanation. Instead the twins just smiled brightly at each other, and turned back towards the table.

"Alright then, Harry? Ron? Hermione?" Fred asked with a wink.

"You're unbelievable you two are." Ron said as he reached out and started loading his plate with food.

Harry wasn't sure what to say, now the brothers were finally in front of him. When they had dragged him in front of the house he was mortified, perhaps even a little angry. But after hearing what Hermione and Ron had said he actually thought he was feeling grateful towards the two of them. Still, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea to encourage them or he might end up in even worse situations.

But before he could come to a decision a few people forced their way onto the benches nearest him. On opposite sides of Fred and George the Creevey brothers, Colin and Dennis, squeezed between a couple of fifth years just before they had finished sitting. They looked up smiling at everyone, seeming extremely pleased with themselves. And next to Hermione a fourth redhead slipped in, elbowing the closest person until she had enough room. Harry saw Hermione and Ginny Weasley exchange smiles, but she didn't look in Harry's direction at all.

Ron had plenty of space, as no one liked to sit too close to him during meals.

"Hiya Harry!" Colin said brightly, reaching over for the eggs.

"Ah, just the three we wanted to see!" George exclaimed.

"Quite well done this morning, the three of you." Fred continued, while getting himself some bacon.

Ginny's ears turned pink as she focused on her omelet, while the Creevey's gave each other big thumbs up to go along with their grins. Neville was quietly eating a piece of toast and looking around nervously, maybe because he was in the middle of both sets of brothers.

"So you did plan that ahead of time then?" Hermione interjected as she was blowing on a cup of tea.

"Plan what?" Harry asked in confusion as he speared an impressively large waffle.

Hermione rolled her eyes before looking towards him. "Honestly Harry? What just happened upstairs? It was obvious that they planned it all, but I wasn't sure for certain who had been a part of it."

"Waiff" Ron slurred with a mouth full of what Harry thought might have been potatoes. Thankfully he seemed to take a moment to swallow before talking again. "The three of you? Even our sister? Why them? Why not Hermione and me?"

"Would have loved to include you Ronniekins, but you." Fred said, pointing across towards his younger brother. "Were not exactly in your dormitory last night."

George nodded along with his twin. "Not our fault you decided to spend the evening in the common room with our beloved headmaster, rather than conspiring with us."

Neville, who had finally seemed to relax and take a big sip of pumpkin juice, immediately choked into his glass. "D..Dumbledore?!"

"We were shocked as you Neville." Fred continued. "After the last three years we were starting to have high hopes for our wee brother at this school. Playing giant games of chess in forbidden rooms . . "

"Chasing after wanted criminals on school property . . "

"Breaking into the common room of another house . . "

"Setting fire to teachers at quidditch games . . "

"Oi!" Ron interrupted. "That wasn't me, that was Hermione."

"RONALD." Hermione flushed and looked around in a panic to see if anyone had heard them.

Colin and Dennis's eyes had been growing wider as they looked between everyone, but their smiles never left their faces. Neville's head was now in his hands as he listened to some of the less famous exploits of the trio.

"Be. That. As. It. May." Fred said, after a sip of pumpkin juice. "We were still rather disappointed to hear that you were spending your night having a chat with Dumbledore, hence unavailable for our most wicked scheme to gain dear Harry here the support of the house. Luckily we were informed of another set of brothers who were keeping a late night vigil for our young hero, and we made plans to join forces."

"And _who_ exactly informed you?" Hermione questioned, shifting her eyes from one brother to the next.

"Oh sweet Hermione, no need to concern yourselves with the specifics. We have our ways, suffice to say." George replied with a wink.

Hermione looked like she wasn't satisfied with that answer, but before she could respond Ron leaned forward, thrusting out a fork that still had half of a sausage affixed to it.

"That's all fine, but what's with you dragging Ginny along? You should be keeping her out of trouble, not dragging her into it."

Harry could see Ginny herself scowling at Ron and reaching for her wand, when her eyes suddenly caught sight of Harry's. The tips of her ears immediately turned pink again, and she turned away from the group to refocus on her omelet, her long red hair blocking her face from view.

He had hoped that spending some time with her family over the summer would have helped with the awkward crush Ginny seemed to have on Harry. Unfortunately every time he had tried to talk to her she would immediately leave the room. The only time she had seemed to forget her crush was during the quidditch world cup, when she had been too busy screaming threats to the Irish team for not scoring fast enough. He really wanted to become better friends with her, but if she refused to even meet his eyes he wasn't sure there was much he could do to change things.

"Drag our sister along?" Fred said, sounding incredulous.

George reached over and snatched a piece of bacon off of the table. "Little brother, no one drags our Gin-Gin along. I will have you know that the only reason she was involved was because she had already been trying all night to convince people to stand by Harry."

"How do you know that!?" Ginny said with a slight squeak to her voice, her face looking scandalized.

"We have our ways." The brothers responded together.

"So wait." Harry interrupted, now realizing the full extent of what was being implied, "Fred, George, you decided, _last night_ , to pull that stunt upstairs? You got Colin, Dennis, and Ginny to help you. "The Creevey brothers reached across the twins to high-five, while Ginny was scowling at her brothers. "As well I am guessing as the quidditch team?" He looked up at them, questioningly.

"Now Harry, we're a team, we do things together don't we?" George smiled broadly.

Fred nodded sagely alongside his twin. "I only wish Oliver was still here, it would have taken a lot less effort. He had a lot of respect with the upper years."

"I imagine he wouldn't have enjoyed the lack of quidditch in his final year though." Harry commented while refilling his pumpkin juice.

"He would have started throwing blasting curses." Fred said to George, smiling wistfully.

George grinned broadly "I wonder if you get Azkaban for destroying the Goblet of Fire."

"You have to do worse things to be sent there . . " Neville said quietly as he ate his breakfast.

"Not necessarily." Said Hermione, a note of anger in her voice. "They sent Hagrid to Azkaban, and he wasn't even charged with anything."

Harry clenched his fist around his fork, forgetting his waffle momentarily, and thinking back to his terrible second year. Due to the chaos caused by the Chamber of Secrets, and everyone blaming Harry for what was going on, he hadn't been able to devote any time towards Hagrid's cause. But he still remembered the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, sending his first friend to the wizard's prison. The worst part of it all was that he had plainly stated that it was solely due to the need for him to be seen "doing something", and not because he actually thought Hagrid was a threat to the school.

And then of course there was Sirius. He couldn't tell the others at the table, because only Ron and Hermione knew, but his godfather had been sent to Azkaban without a trial, even though he was innocent. More than once during the summer Harry reminded himself that it was another reason that he had grown up unloved, sleeping in a cupboard, rather than in a wizarding home with someone who cared for him.

Suddenly Hermione's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Harry, did you want me to take notes for you?"

Harry blinked in confusion, not simply because he had been worrying about Sirius, but because he couldn't understand what Hermione meant.

"Notes? For what?"

Hermione sighed and gave him a pitying look. "For History of Magic? In case you want to study it later?"

It took a full eight seconds for Harry's brain to process what she had said. The others at the table seemed to be giving her equally bewildering looks, and Harry was just about to ask her what she meant when suddenly the events of the previous night came rushing back.

Harry no longer had History of Magic. In fact, remembering that it was Tuesday, he didn't have _any_ classes until after lunch. He tried not to grin over the thought, reminding himself this was only the case due to an incredibly dangerous tournament. But as his memory called up the dull voice of Professor Binns lecturing about the most recent goblin rebellion, some few hundred years ago, he couldn't help the small smile that came to his face.

"That's alright Hermione, it's not really a subject I have a lot of love for." He said, apologetically.

For a moment she looked like she wanted to argue with him, she even opened her mouth to do so. But instead she stopped, looked at him again with sad eyes, and finally nodded. He was grateful. He knew Hermione didn't think anything was more important than education, but the truth was even without the tournament Harry never felt he was gaining anything by going to the classes he had chosen to drop. He really only ever put effort into learning new spells, especially any that could be useful in a fight. Maybe it was because he had known, ever since his first year, that he would have to face Voldemort again. Maybe it was because his Defense teachers the first two years were so terrible that he always felt like he had to make up for it. Or maybe it was the thrill seeker in him, the same part of him that fell in love with quidditch.

No matter the case, Harry promised himself that he wouldn't waste his new schedule by sleeping in or playing exploding snap. He remembered the look that the headmaster gave him the night before, when he had decided to drop several courses. He didn't want to disappoint him.

He didn't want to disappoint himself either.

It was at this time though that Neville decided to say something.

"Not to interrupt, but, well, shouldn't we actually be _going_ to History of Magic?"

Hermione's eyes widened as she looked around the hall. Well over half the students had left during their conversation, and many of the others had at least finished their meals. She sucked in her breath and leapt up, pulling on her nearly exploding book bag.

"Oh no, Neville's right, we'll be late for class if we don't hurry. The staircases are a nightmare just after a meal. Ron, NO, we have to go!" She said in a hurried manner as she started to make her way to the entryway.

Ron, who had just piled a new helping of bacon onto his plate, looked extremely put off. However only a second later he seemed to brighten, take a waffle, and wrap it around his pile of bacon. He stood up with a grin and gave Harry a pat on the shoulder before chasing off after her, eating his creation like a sandwich. Harry just caught a glimpse of Neville catching up to him before he returned to his food.

"What's this now my dear brother? Is young Harry ignoring his educational duties?" George inquired, while looking over to him carefully.

"Methinks he's finally deciding to join us in our skiving ways, brother mine." Fred finished with a grin.

"My timetable had to change due to the tournament." Harry smiled up at the two of them broadly. He didn't want to flaunt his new schedule to people, but there wasn't any way he would be able to hide it either. "But it sounds like you have class, but aren't planning to go?"

"If only that were so, but alas, Tuesday morning is Transfiguration for us . . ." George began, pulling his bag up to him.

". . . and McGonagall isn't someone we want coming after us right now. Lots of plans in the works for this year, you understand." Fred said with a wink, as he hoped out of his seat.

Harry gave them both a wave as they left, and quietly finished his breakfast. He thought about everything that had happened that morning and how much the two Weasley twins had managed to do for him in such a short amount of time.

Compared to last night when he was certain his life was ruined, and he wouldn't have a friend in the world, he instead found himself without the weight of nearly half of his course load, and the complete support of the other Gryffindors. In the back of his mind he still held the fear that this tournament would be the end of him, but at the moment he was actually thinking this might end up being one of his better years. At least if he ended up in the hospital wing, again, he wouldn't have to make up quite as much homework.

As he looked around he could see that he was one of only a few handfuls of people left in the Great Hall. Most had classes at this time, and those who didn't wouldn't waste their free period in here. He grabbed his bag, only to realize he still had his History text and his Astronomy equipment weighing it down. He decided that he might as well head back up to the dorm and repack things since he had plenty of time.

And, Harry thought, if he was already in the dorm and ended up taking a nap, well, who could blame him? He pulled himself away from the table and headed for the entryway with a grin on his face.

A grin that wouldn't last long.

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

I'm going to start writing out thoughts at the end of each chapter, sort of like director's commentary. They will be spoiler free, but feel free to skip them. They are mostly my own musings and I think the only ones interested will be other fanfic authors. I also might answer reader questions that I don't feel need to be in the author's notes. I'm also going back and doing the first few chapters if you are interested.

I am quickly learning that any chapter that has the Weasley twins in it is a fun chapter to write, though challenging. Their dialogue flows amazingly when you hear it in your head, but it can be hard to write it down without it sounding stilted. However the great part about having them in a scene is that they might literally say anything. The idea for the Gas Guzzler came out of nowhere, but it sounded too much like something they would do to leave out.

Weirdly enough what I loved most about this chapter was the breakfast itself. Deciding simple things like Hermione preferring tea while Ginny had an omelet brought a bit more life to the characters for me. The Harry Potter world is so big that we don't always get time to learn smaller character quirks, so I am going to try my best to flesh some out a bit.

Also I hadn't tried a waffle-bacon-sandwich until after I had written it, and I just want you to know it was a damned good idea and I stand by it.


	7. 07: The Dragon's Challenge

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better write.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

* * *

Chapter 07: The Dragon's Challenge

The last time Harry had left the Great Hall it had been one of the most miserable moments of his life. Certain of the harassment he would receive, and terrified of losing his best friends, he had wandered off in a daze just to avoid it. Now, however, only a few hours later, he couldn't remember a day he was looking more forward to.

Unfortunately Harry's good moods were rarely allowed to last for very long.

"Think you are something special now, scar head?"

Harry's grin evaporated when he saw the boy who he had hoped to avoid today. Draco Malfoy was standing between him and the staircase leading up from the entryway. His bodyguards, Crabbe and Goyle, were standing on either side of him holding their big meaty fists threateningly. He also noticed a few of the other Slytherins in his year standing in the hallway. At first he was worried that he might have been ambushed, perhaps Malfoy had convinced them to attack together. But as he glanced around that didn't seem to be the case.

Daphne Greengrass and Tracey Davis were sitting on the steps of the main doorway, facing each other with a book open and holding different pieces of parchment, apparently talking over their homework. Blaise Zabini was stopped halfway up the stairs with Millicent Bulstrode, as he apparently needed to tie his shoe. And out of the corner of his eye, as he glanced backwards, he caught the image of Theodore Nott reading a book, just to the side of the Great Hall's doors.

Harry severely doubted this was a coincidence, but at the same time if it were an ambush it was a poor one. The girls doing homework were sitting, and it would take them time to reach their wands. The staircase _could_ have been a good place to cast spells from, if Harry had been closer to it. As it was they were at a bad angle that would be hard to aim from. And though off to the side, Nott was probably too close to the Great Hall to cast a spell without being noticed.

He realized that this must be one of the free periods for the Slytherin fourth years. He very much doubted that they had decided to skip a class just for the sake of harassing him. He knew for a fact that both Theodore Nott and Daphne Greengrass were near the top of their class, after Hermione of course, and even though he had never spoken to them he doubted they would risk their grades over this.

Not knowing what was going on, and deciding that they didn't seem to be a threat, Harry decided to forget them and focus on the more obvious issue.

"Malfoy? McGonagall said things had to look nice while the other schools are here, why are they letting you wander around?" Harry stated while trying to give his best expression of being confused.

A deep snort came from the stairwell, though he couldn't tell if it came from Zabini or Bulstrode. Tracey Davis, however, promptly buried her face into her assignment as her shoulders seems to vibrate. Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other confused, trying to decipher what Harry had meant, but Draco's face turned bright red as he scowled towards him.

"Shut up Potter! When they find out how you cheated to get into the tournament they'll expel you for sure. And then we'll see how tough you are with no wand to defend yourself." The blonde boy snarled with a growing sneer on his face.

Harry almost started to move towards the exit of the hall, but he stopped himself. Normally when he ran into Draco he would have Ron and Hermione at his side. Someone else might see that as an advantage as he would have two friends to back him up, evening the odds in these situations. But the truth of the matter was that their presence always seemed to limit what Harry could do. Ron would always be too eager to start a real fight, something that Harry would generally prefer to avoid. And though Hermione was very adept with her wand, she was extremely adamant about following school rules and would be more likely to let herself be hexed rather than cast a spell at another student.

Now, however, Harry only had to worry about himself and going at his own pace. He could still hear people in the Great Hall, and knew that even if there weren't any professor's still inside there would be enough students that Malfoy wouldn't cast spells openly at him . . . he hoped.

"Well." Harry said, coming out of his thoughts. "You can barely manage any spells, and you seem to be doing just fine. Having no magic can't be much worse than being terrible at it."

SNAP.

Theodore Nott had closed his book so forcefully that the sound caught Harry by surprised and he glanced back. His face was expressionless, but the muscles in his cheeks were clearly strained, and he seemed to be holding his breath. As he turned and headed back into the Great Hall their eyes met for a moment, and Harry could swear he saw a wink come from the Slytherin boy.

Draco, however, was furious. His sneer had turned into a snarl, as he stalked towards Harry, reaching into his robes. Unfortunately Harry had been distracted by the other Slytherin and didn't have a chance to react before the angry boy was directly in front of him. Though he hadn't drawn it yet, Harry could clearly see him holding his wand just inside his robes. Crabbe and Goyle had both followed and were now on either side of Harry, glowering down.

Harry knew that the situation had escalated, and that he wasn't in as safe a position anymore. He wasn't as confident he could get to the Great Hall with Malfoy's body guards now so close, and the blonde boy already had his wand in his hand. He could call for help, but all of his friends were in class now and he didn't think he knew anyone left in the Great Hall.

Even then Draco would probably attack him if he tried. The only witnesses besides him were all Slytherins, and he was sure they would manage to convince Snape that it had all been Harry's doing. The only way Harry might be able to get out of this without getting hurt would be to talk his way out.

"Think you're funny, orphan?" Draco sneered. "Think you can just say anything because of a filthy mark carved into your face when your mudblood mother failed to be witch enough to stop it? Or is it because you cheated to get into the tournament and now you think you're actually something other than a kid no one wanted?"

Draco had begun grinning wider and wider with each further insult, to the point that now he looked practically gleeful at the situation. His eyes shimmered malevolently as he began pulling his wand further and further out.

"Since you are so special, maybe you would like to see some spells that are truly powerful."

Harry was seeing red. He no longer cared if he ended up hurt, he wasn't going to let the boy talk about his mother like that. But Harry knew he wouldn't reach his wand fast enough, and with Crabbe and Goyle next to him he doubted a punch would ever reach Malfoy. So instead Harry decided simply to smile back at the other boy and make him as mad as possible.

"Sure Malfoy. Do you know anyone powerful enough to show me them? You should have said something before Nott left, isn't he the strongest Slytherin in our year?"

Draco practically spit with rage as he stepped back quickly and drew his wand high into the air, a curse on his lips. Harry tried to leap back, hoping that even if Draco's goons grabbed him he could try to dodge the spell. But his back immediately hit something solid behind him and he wasn't able to move more than an inch or two. He considered rolling out of the way, but he knew he would have to time it for just when the spell was cast. However, as he waited for Draco to aim his wand at him he realized that the boy himself seemed to have stopped casting.

"Is there a problem here Harry?" Came a voice from directly behind him.

When Harry looked back he was surprised to find that, not only had he backed up right into another person, but that there were actually several people piled up behind him. Over half a dozen older Gryffindors seemed to have taken up positions at his back and were glaring over at Malfoy and his friends. Crabbe and Goyle had begun backing away, not enjoying being suddenly outnumbered, while Draco was sneering venomously at the older fifth year boy who had spoken up. The boy wasn't particularly tall, but still much taller than Harry, and had dark hair that was rather short. He was looking at Malfoy like he would rather curse him than talk to him.

Harry in the meantime was bewildered. Beyond recognizing them from the common room he didn't know _any_ of these people. However that didn't stop someone from taking his shoulder and pulling him to the back of the group, as the original fifth year boy stepped forward. Seeing how things had turned out Malfoy stowed his wand and motioned for Crabbe and Goyle to follow him towards the exit, which Harry now noticed was clear of the earlier Slytherins.

The person who had grabbed Harry turned out to be an older girl, a rather pretty girl actually, who began looking Harry over in a critical manner very similar to that of Madame Pomfrey. As she did he noticed the bright badge on her robes signifying her as a Gryffindor prefect.

"I don't see any spell damage Murphy, I think we got here just in time." The girl said while ruffling Harry's hair forcefully.

"That boy's a disgrace to his house. What Slytherin starts a fight twenty feet from the Great Hall just after breakfast?" The older boy said while shaking his head. He turned back and walked over to the group, which had seemed to relax their positions now that the Slytherins were gone. "Alright Harry?" He said with a smile.

"Yeah, uh, thanks um . . " Harry struggled to think of what to say. Not only was he caught off guard talking to a group of people he wasn't used to, but he was feeling embarrassed to have been in the same house as them for four years and not know their names.

Whether because he sensed Harry's confusion, or just to be polite, the boy thrust out his hand with a smile.

"Name's Murphy. Roderick Murphy. Everyone just calls me Rod."

"No one calls you that." Said one of the other boys in the group.

"This is literally the first I am hearing of this." Said the female prefect standing next to him.

Harry reached out and took the boy's hand, and quickly regretted it as it was vigorously shaken. The boy, Roderick, didn't seem to mind his friends' comments and just beamed happily.

"If you ever get into trouble Harry don't hesitate to call on us. We're a house that stands together, and we've got to protect our own. Wouldn't want you getting hexed by a tosser like that anyway, at least find someone respectable to fight with."

A light went on in Harry's mind as if someone had just lit a torch. These people had been there for Fred and George's speech that morning. Was that why they were treating him this way? Did their plan actually work?

But before he could think too much more on it Roderick had smacked him on the shoulder, still smiling. "We've got to get to the library, you'll be okay on your own, right Harry?"

"He could come with us?" Said another girl, this one a bit shorter with dark hair and freckles. "I mean, he's cuter than any of you at least. I wouldn't mind if he stuck around."

A few of the others laughed, while Harry stared wide eyed at the girl, who was looking at him seriously and didn't sound like she was making a joke. Roderick too was giving him a serious stare, looking him up and down.

"Nah." The older boy said thoughtfully. "His eyes are gorgeous, but he's still too scrawny to be called cute. Give him another year though and maybe . . ."

The female prefect grabbed the older boy and girl by the shoulders and began moving them forcefully towards the staircase.

"Murphy, Norden, leave the kid alone. We said we'd use our free period to study, remember?"

The group of Gryffindor's began heading towards the staircase, leaving Harry behind where they had found him. More than one gave him a pat on the back before they left, someone even deciding to mess up his hair again.

As Harry watched them leave the prefect turned around near the top of the stairs to wave to him, only to pause and look past him before smiling and giving a thumbs up. However, when Harry looked over his shoulder the only one he could see was a slowly departing Theodore Nott who was heading towards the dungeons and reading his book again.

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

The dialogue with Draco was the third of three scenes I wrote that made me decide to do an entire story. In the first draft Draco's dialogue was a lot more cruel, and I spent a lot of time trying to tone it down without losing its edge. For the longest time this scene ended with a fight, but then I realized it didn't fit. Harry needs to work a bit harder before he can start kicking people's butts.

I had more fun writing the older Gryffindor's than I expected. Just like with Harry's class schedule I knew I wanted consistent information I could draw on for my story, so I looked up the names of students that are mentioned but we aren't told what year they are in, or even sometimes what house they are in. Then I essentially sorted them and wrote down a few personality traits for each. I honestly could have written a lot more with them, but I didn't want to give the impression I was adding a bunch of OC's that we were going to focus on.

Obviously I am going to try to write about a lot more characters than we just see in the books so Harry can get some new experiences, but while Harry is at Hogwarts I am going to try to avoid introducing a ton of original characters. Once Harry graduates (assuming he lives that long muhaha) I expect he will need to deal with a lot more adult wizards than just those that are mentioned in the books, so I am already writing up a few character biographies for later.

Assuming anyone is still reading my story by then.


	8. 08: The Bat and the Badger

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better write.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

* * *

 **Important Notice:** I try to release a few chapters every week so you don't have to go too long without an update, and so you know I am still working on it. However I will be on vacation until the next week, and will be unable to upload anything. I will still be working on the story, but obviously much less than usual. When I come back I will try to put in some extra work to make it up to you. Thanks for reading and following, it means a lot. I pushed a bit to get this out before I left as thanks.

* * *

Chapter 08: The Bat and the Badger

Harry walked down the mostly empty corridor that eventually led to the Gryffindor common room. His thoughts were mainly on what had happened at the entryway, including what had almost happened. It wasn't just the Tournament he had to be prepared for, he needed to know how to defend himself from other wizards. He was fairly confident he could handle Draco Malfoy in most situations, but Harry had already faced Voldemort three times in his rather short life. He hadn't needed to use any spells to defeat him so far, but he highly doubted he would be that lucky again.

He needed to use the time he had now to learn, but how? Dumbledore seemed to think he could arrange tutors to train him, but Harry didn't have any idea of when that would be happening. He could always go to the library, but he generally only went there to keep Hermione company, or to look something up for one of Snape's long essays. Harry knew that he generally did better learning spells the practical way, like he did when Professor Lupin had taught him the patronus last year.

He supposed the best he could do for now would be to find a place to practice. It was November, so the grounds would very quickly become out of the question. He also knew from experienced that unused classrooms were a poor place to gather, as you often ran into people who had the same idea.

In fact, he knew about an illegal Charms club that held meetings in a different classroom every week. Harry had never heard of any illegal charms, as they mostly did things like shine your shoes, or refill your tea cup. But Professor Flitwick always reminded his students that he would offer twenty points to anyone who came forward with information about them, so he imagined it must be serious.

There was nothing for it, he would have to go ask Dumbledore. He was certain that the Headmaster would have a place in mind where he could practice his spells in peace. Harry would go to his office after he had dropped his things off at his dorm. He was once again pleased at the amount of free time he had this morning to get things done. He was sure that by now Ron was already asleep, while Hermione was dutifully attempting to take notes while Professor Binns droned on.

Harry smiled at the thought that he would never have to go through another History of Magic class again. He also began to think, somewhat hesitantly, that if he used the free time to train hard enough that he might actually manage to get through the Tournament alive. And maybe, just maybe, things wouldn't go as terribly as he feared.

"Potter!"

Harry spun around in surprise to see the professor he most disliked stalking up the hall towards him. Severus Snape's robes were billowing and his usual scowl was plain to see. As their eyes met Harry could already feel a tired headache forming in the back of his head.

"Yes sir?" Harry said, trying his hardest to keep his dislike for the greasy git out of his voice. It must not have worked as Snape seemed to look even angrier.

"Don't give me that. You think that you are too good for your lessons now, do you? Thirty points from Gryffindor for skipping class. And detention with me on Friday. I have some fresh rat spleens I need . . cleaned."

Harry blinked as the professor's lips formed into a terrifying grin. He knew that when Snape said "cleaned" he often meant "harvested", meaning that somewhere in the dungeons there was most likely a crate of dead rats waiting with Harry's name on it. Actually, he thought, if they had Harry's name on them then he couldn't be sure the rats would even be dead. He held back a shudder as he looked back at the potion's professor.

"Sorry sir, I don't know what you mean. I don't have class right now."

"Don't give me that, impudent brat, I know perfectly well that you should be in History of Magic with your obnoxiously noisy friends. Ten more points for lying to a professor, and now that's two detentions you owe me."

Snape's grin grew so wide that Harry was sure for a moment he could see gleaming fangs sprout on the spot. He swallowed nervously, but refused to break eye contact with the professor.

"I dropped History of Magic, sir."

The grin vanished so quickly that Harry almost thought someone had used a spell. Maybe the lip-locker curse, or mouth vanishing jinx.

"Potter . . I know you so adore your fame, but even you cannot simply decide to drop a class. Lie to me again and I will assign you a detention that will be a bit more . . permanent."

This time Harry could not prevent the shudder that coursed through his body. It was something of an open secret that everyone considered Severus Snape to be a dark wizard, someone who practiced near illegal forms of sorcery. But faced with the look the man was giving him now, Harry had never been more sure that it was true.

"I'm a champion, sir. Champions are allowed to drop any courses that they wish."

Snape stepped forward with such speed that Harry jumped instinctively backwards, but his back quickly met the stone wall. Had he been unintentionally moving back this entire conversation? He now seemed cornered by Snape who was standing only a few inches away, his greasy head bent over his, peering down with a look of pure loathing.

"If you are lying to me Potter, I will ensure that you are removed from this school. Even if the Headmaster fails to expel you, I will still make certain you leave this place, and _never_ return."

The professor was so close now that he could smell the underlying aroma of crushed beetles, sulphur, and a hint of what Harry was sure to be some type of creature blood. It exuded from the man with such intensity that it made Harry's skin itch all over.

"I'm not lying, sir. I was told last night by Professor Dumbledore and he accepted my change in schedule already."

Harry stared back at the man, fearing what would happen if he looked away, too worried even to breathe. The eyes of the potions master seemed to bore into him, searching to see if he was telling the truth. Harry tried to steady his breath and not break eye contact. He knew that he was telling the truth, but he didn't trust Snape to care.

After a moment of neither of them moving Snape slowly straightened his back. He looked down at Harry with a sneer, then suddenly whirled around and walked down the hall purposefully away. Harry waited until he was out of sight, and then finally released the breath he had been holding. He stood there and listened as the sounds of the man's footsteps quickly faded away. He shook his head, turned, and quickly began moving down the hall to get to the safety of the common room.

It didn't take Harry long to get back to his dorm, since no one else had decided to stop him. He sat down on his bed and looked around, not normally being in here completely alone, and tried to forget about his encounter with Snape. Once again he considered taking a nap to make up for his late night, but he knew he would feel guilty about it later. Instead he opened up his trunk and started dragging out anything from the classes that he had dropped.

Soon his bed was covered in old books, broken quills, parchment scraps, and a number of melted or squished treats that his trunk had accumulated over the years. Harry never really went through his things like this before, and he was glad the rest of his dorm mates were in class. Suddenly he pulled out his star chart and walked over to place it with the pile on Ron's bed. It joined a small crystal ball, the large history text book that had been in his bag, his telescope, and the notes he had taken for each of his classes.

Harry thought that Ginny might be able to make use of them next year, and that Ron would give them to her. He was thankful that it wasn't Ron they were going to, as he stubbornly refused any attempts to be given what he referred to as "handouts". Even though Ron's behavior towards Harry regarding the Tournament had been very positive, he wasn't sure if his best friend was over the bouts of jealousy he sometimes had. Luckily though he knew Ron would never accept them, he also knew he wouldn't risk his sister's wrath by never giving them to her.

As he finished repacking his trunk he looked at his watch and realized that the day's first classes had ended a few minutes ago. He considered hunting down Ron and Hermione, as they all had a free period next, but he didn't want to abandon his goal to see Dumbledore. Shoving his trunk closed he hurried out to the common room. Seamus Finnigan, who always made sure to get away from class as fast as possible, was just coming through the portrait hole. Harry slipped through before the boy had a chance to say anything. He wanted to try and reach the Headmaster's office before the halls were completely full.

It wasn't until Harry was standing in front of the gargoyle that guarded the office that he ran into any trouble. Dumbledore had told him last night that he could stop by at any time, but he never mentioned the password to get in. This was especially frustrating due to the Headmaster's habit of using the names of sweets, meaning it could be almost anything. Not knowing what else to do he began listing off anything he could think of from his last trip to Honeydukes.

" . . . Sherbet Lemons? Fudge Flies? Pixie Puffs? Jelly Slugs?"

Harry stood there for several minutes listing sweets, hearing the constant noise of students from the nearby corridor. He could just wait until tomorrow, he was sure he would see the Headmaster at supper tonight and could ask him then. But Harry felt like he needed to accomplish something more this morning. This was the first day after having been entered into the Tournament, and he knew it would set the tone for the rest of his year. After another long stretch he was beginning to run out of sweets he could name, so he just started talking to it.

"Would you move please? I need to see the Headmaster. He said I could stop by. I'm Harry? What's your name? Would you tell him that I need to see him please? Not that I am sure you can do that. But if you can let him know Harry Potter wants . ."

All of a sudden the gargoyle sprung to life and stepped aside. Harry blinked. Was his name the password? He didn't know if he liked the idea of the professor's all having to say his name to come talk to the Headmaster, and he could just imagine Snape standing out here for hours refusing to say it. More likely, he realized as he climbed the stairs, was that the Headmaster had simply told the gargoyle to "let Harry Potter in".

Harry put those thoughts aside however when confronted with the large wooden door to Dumbledore's office. He reached up hesitantly, always intimidated slightly by being here, and then knocked.

"Enter!" came the Headmaster's sing-song voice.

He opened the door and stepped inside, walking towards the headmaster's desk. His first instinct was to do a quick search for Fawkes, the beautiful phoenix that was Dumbledore's familiar. But sadly he wasn't on his perch right now, and didn't seem to be anywhere in the room. What he did see, however, was that he apparently wasn't the only student that came see the Headmaster.

"Ah, Harry, while your arrival is unexpected it is also extremely fortuitous. Perhaps you dropped Divination too soon, as the issue we were just discussing has a great deal to do with you. Please have a seat, lemon drop?" Said the old wizard, holding out a small silver tray full of small yellow candies.

Harry shook his head. "No thank you, sir." As he sat down he turned to the boy sitting in the next chair. "Good morning so far, Cedric?"

Cedric Diggory, the tall seeker for the Hufflepuff quidditch team, and Harry's rival Champion, smiled broadly at him.

"It's been good so far. Breakfast was pretty interesting though, so I'll thank you for that." The dark haired boy responded with a nod towards Harry.

"Don't look at me." Harry defended. "I wasn't the one in charge."

Cedric gave Harry a strange look for a long moment. Harry was fairly sure that he looked like he was wanted to say something. However, just as he seemed ready to comment, a ball of fire erupted expectantly between them.

The older boy gave a start and leapt out of his chair, but Harry closed his eyes and did his best not to move as he felt a weight on his arm. When he opened them again he found Fawkes a few inches from his face. It must not have been very long since his last burning day as his feathers were shimmering beautifully and his eyes were shining brightly towards Harry.

" 'lo Fawkes." He said brightly, reaching out and rubbing under his chin. The creature trilled in response and shuffled closer to Harry's touch, small embers falling from his tail feathers as he did so. He hadn't ever really had time to sit down and see Fawkes since he had saved his life in the Chamber of Secrets. Harry thought it might be a good idea to ask Dumbledore or Hagrid what types of treats phoenixes liked.

The Headmaster was beaming from across his desk, eyes twinkling intensely as he seemed to suck on a lemon drop. Cedric though was staring in awe at what was going on. The strange thing seemed to be was that he wasn't staring at Fawkes, the magical firebird balanced on Harry's arm. No, what was strange was that he was staring at _Harry_.

"Now Fawkes, I was about to have a rather important meeting with Mister Potter, and Mister Diggory." Dumbledore said, still smiling. "I promise you can spend time with young Harry later."

Fawkes turned to look at Dumbledore and gave a slightly mournful trill, before flying off of Harry's arm and vanishing again in a bright ball of fire.

Dumbledore shook his head, chuckling. "Fawkes has a taste for theatrics, I am afraid. I'm not quite sure where it came from."

Harry smiled and nodded, even though he had a fair idea _exactly_ where it came from. Cedric by now had sat back down, but he was scanning the room as if he wasn't sure where the next fireball would come from. Eventually, however, he returned his attention to the Headmaster.

"Now, Harry." Dumbledore began. "I would like to know why you have visited me first of all, though as I said before I expect your issue may be the same one that Mister Diggory has brought to me."

Cedric looked over to Harry, a slightly more nervous smile now on his face.

"Looking for a place to practice, Harry?"

Harry suddenly felt very relieved that he had never taken that nap. When he first saw Cedric here he had assumed he had been missing out on something important for the Tournament. Now it seemed that Harry's thoughts had been the exact same as the other Hogwart's Champion.

"Exactly. I don't know very many places that are available, and I was hoping the Headmaster could help me." He said with a bit more excitement, now that he knew that he wasn't completely wrong.

Dumbledore smiled and slipped another lemon drop into his mouth as he spread out a few papers that were on his desk, looking them over.

"The Tournament committee have been planning this event for a few years now, and we spent the summer preparing places for the champions to train. Mister Krum has been given the room that the original Dueling Club used before it was disbanded. Miss Delacour was assigned the largest inactive classroom due to the fact that Alchemy hasn't been taught in nearly a century. And I was just about to tell Mister Diggory that he had been assigned one of the larger greenhouses that has not been needed in recent years. Each room has been modified to be highly resistant to spell damage, as well as to be quite comfortable so that the champions are encouraged to train as much as possible." Dumbledore concluded.

Harry thought that each of those sounded perfect, and was trying hard not to let that excitement show. But Dumbledore stacked the papers neatly on his desk and looked back towards Harry, a sad expression on his face.

"Unfortunately Mister Potter, since we never planned for a fourth Champion we don't have any possible places available for you." He said apologetically.

Harry just sat there with a look of surprise, Cedric too seemed shocked by the bluntness of Dumbledore's statement.

"Headmaster, there must be _some_ place?" The Hufflepuff started, leaning forward in his seat.

The older man again looked very sad as he turned to Cedric. "Though Hogwarts does have many empty classrooms, few are big enough for any practical work, and only one was big enough for the type of practice you would need to do for the Tournament. In all honesty the greenhouse was a superb idea that came from Professor Sprout. Before that we were discussing if we would have to build a new training room for the school just for the Tournament. Even then it took significant time to reinforce it and have it ready for the Hogwarts champion."

Cedric folded his arms and looked at the Headmaster, as Harry began to process everything he had been told.

"Then it's obvious isn't it? Harry should get the greenhouse."

Harry whipped his head to the older boy "Cedric, don't I . . " But he held up his hand.

"It's not fair Potter. You didn't ask to be in this, and no offense but you are the Champion who needs to train the most." He said with finality.

Harry looked down a bit before meeting Cedric's eyes. "I thought you didn't believe that I hadn't entered?"

Cedric smiled kindly. "Gryffindors are a lot smarter than the Slytherins like to pretend. There's no way your entire house would be behind you if you were really a cheater, not to that extent at least. Take the space, Harry."

When Cedric had first expressed his doubts that Harry hadn't entered the Tournament it had solidified Harry's belief that the entire school would feel the same way. The fact that his mind had been changed in a single day did a lot to lift his spirits after his unfortunate encounters with Snape and Malfoy.

"As noble as that may be Mister Diggory, I am afraid that is not possible." Dumbledore interrupted.

Both boys turned to him questioningly as he stood up and moved around to the front of his desk to talk to them.

"In an effort to maintain a safe environment for our visiting Champions it was made so that only the staff or students of that Champions school can enter. The runes that power those wards were carved over the summer and cannot be changed during the Tournament."

"But . . ." Cedric began in a confused tone "Harry goes to Hogwarts, it should be fine?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Regrettably, for the Goblet to be tricked in order to select Mister Potter's name he had to be entered under a fourth school that doesn't exist. The wards are powerful in their simplicity, they will bar him from entering any of the training spaces simply for being affiliated with a different school. During the 1546 Tournament, which also happened after a prolonged hiatus, one of the Champions assassinated the other two before the first task. Unfortunately he then argued successfully that he had simply overcome a challenge the Tournament had placed before him, that being the other competitors themselves. All of us involved in the Tournament this year made sure that each Champion would have a safe place that couldn't be interfered with to prevent such a disaster from happening again."

Cedric nodded along with the Headmaster as Harry looked down at the floor. That was it. Harry knew that Dumbledore never made such plain statements unless he was absolutely sure of himself. Especially if the Headmaster had been working on this for years it was highly unlikely Harry was going to manage to discover a suitable space on his own. Unless he wanted to try walking down every corridor and hope that a large enough room simply sprang to existence.

Harry already knew that he wasn't that lucky.

There was nothing for it, he would have to study in the library and practice on the grounds on days the weather was bearable. Hermione and Ron would help him even then, he knew that now, and hopefully together they could find a way to get through this.

"However . . . "

Harry looked up as Dumbledore's words disrupted his thoughts. He was looking down at Harry thoughtfully, as if trying to make a decision.

"I have been thinking about this issue since last night." He continued while twisting a lemon drop between his fingers.

"There is _one_ place in the school left that I know of that is not only large enough to train, but sufficiently warded. It also has the added benefit of being highly secure, meaning only those you allow will be able to enter."

Cedric immediately perked up. "Well, that sounds just perfect. Why wasn't this already an option?"

The Headmaster sighed at the older boys remarked, but his eyes never left Harry's.

"There would be some work involved. The space as it currently is needs some cleaning, and some modifications to make it more usable. As well as the fact that it's current security makes it somewhat difficult to access. I wasn't sure if Mister Potter would be comfortable with it."

Harry thought for a moment. He didn't want to be in this tournament, and he was certain that even if he had been of age he never would have entered. But now that he was, now that there was no chance of him getting out of it, he wanted to use it as an opportunity to get better. He knew that at the moment he would be no competition to Cedric, a boy only a few years older than him. How would he stand up to Voldemort again? His followers? Even Peter Pettigrew, pathetic as he was, would likely know twice the spells that Cedric did. And what of the people he had to worry about at school like Draco, or even Snape if he was ever pushed that far.

This was the year. This was the year he was going to stop relying on luck to get him through danger. Harry knew that the only way to become the wizard he was hoping he would become would be to put in the work.

"Sir." Harry said, looking back up towards the Headmaster who was still watching him seriously. "I'll do whatever it takes. If someone did this to me because they were hoping I would die, then I want to make sure they realize they made a mistake. I'll train in a broom cupboard if I have to, but if it's all the same I'll take the training room you have in mind."

"That a boy Harry!" The Hufflepuff cheered good naturedly, giving him a smack on the shoulder.

Harry grinned, and Dumbledore gave him a slightly solemn smile while nodding his head.

"Then if you are sure Mister Potter let us go there now and see how much work needs to be done."

Harry was taken aback slightly, not having expected to be able to go there immediately.

"You can take me there right now, sir?"

Dumbledore gave a low chuckle as he slowly began moving towards the door to his office, Harry standing up immediately to follow him.

"Oh no my boy, _I_ can't take you." He said, before stopping to look back at Harry's confused expression.

He stroked his beard slowly while giving the boy a significant look.

"Actually, I've been rather hoping that _you_ wouldn't mind taking _me_."

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

What a mystery! Where could they be going? It's _definitely_ not obvious, right?

The conversation with Snape was the second of the three scenes I originally wrote before deciding to do an entire story. As I have mentioned before the first was Dumbledore sitting down and having an open and honest discussion with Harry and his friends about the tournament, in a way I had always wanted to happen. The third was Harry's encounter with Draco, especially a lot of the insults and taunts they threw back and forth. But this was the second scene. I wanted to get it just right because in actuality I find Snape a hard character to write.

You see, I hate Snape. I find him to be completely unredeemable. He was a hate filled neo-nazi who couldn't get over his own prejudice even with an amazing best friend by his side who proved that they were wrong. He never cared about anyone in his life that wasn't Severus Snape or Lily Evans.

Luckily this is fanfiction, so that doesn't meant I have to write him that way. As much as I hate canon-Snape I am just as huge fan of the nice-guy-Snape we see in so many stories. So which one am I going to write? For obvious reasons, i'm NOT TELLING. But either way the very first interaction had to have the right feeling to it, and I like to think I got it eventually.


	9. 09: Dungeons and Drapes

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews. Unless it relates to apostrophes, which I have learned I have no control over.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better writer.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

I am sorry for the absurd delay with this chapter, I took a week off for a vacation and somehow came back with pneumonia of all things. Even weeks later I am still just getting back on my feet. I will try to get back on my regular release schedule as soon as I can, thanks for anyone who has been waiting for more. I've been working furiously on these next four chapters so I can release them on the same day, as a bit of a thank you towards you all.

* * *

Chapter 09: Dungeons and Drapes

"Lumos."

Harry held his wand over his head, casting light around the dark cavern as he looked about. The walls shimmered with moisture as the light hit it, and he could easily make out the long tunnel ahead. He stared down it, remembering the last time he had come this way over a year ago. Even though Harry wasn't in a rush to save someone's life this time the same sense of urgency washed over him as he took in the familiar surroundings. His fingers flexed around his wand and he started to breathe heavily as he stared into the darkness beyond his light.

But just as he was about to rush forward, a hand placed itself gently onto his shoulder.

"It's alright Harry. There's nothing left here that can hurt you."

He looked back and saw Dumbledore looking down at him, the concern on his face obvious. Just seeing him there relieved Harry of most of the tension in his body and he slumped his shoulders.

"Sorry sir." Harry began. "Bad memories. I'll try to forget about them."

Dumbledore shook his head slowly and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"Never try to forget the past. It is impossible to do so, and you will only torment yourself. Instead learn to accept the fact that you did what you thought was best at the time."

"How long does it take to learn that, sir?" Harry asked.

The old wizard gave him a sad look with a small smile. "My dear boy, I will let you know."

Harry wanted to ask what the Headmaster meant by that, but before the two of them could continue their talk they were interrupted by the loud sound of a body hitting the ground behind them.

Harry rushed over and offered his hand to the older boy on the ground with a look of concern. "Are you okay? I did say it was a rough landing."

But even in the dim light of Harry's wand it was easy to see that Cedric Diggory was smiling broadly. "I take worse hits at quidditch practice. But that slide was brilliant, how far did we go? We have to at least be under the dungeons!"

Harry smiled back bemusedly as he helped the tall boy up. If someone had told him that he would be spending his morning under the castle with the Headmaster and the other Hogwarts Champion he wouldn't have believed it, but once the Hufflepuff had heard where they were planning to go he had practically begged to come along.

"It's not quite as grand as I thought, but I'm still surprised to see it under the school. And especially that we had to go through the girls' bathroom to get here." Cedric said as he raised his wand and added his own light to the tunnel.

"This isn't it." Harry responded in a serious tone, remembering again where they were headed. "We'll have to walk for a few minutes before we get to the proper entrance. And there was a cave-in up ahead Professor."

Dumbledore nodded absently as he was slowly waving his wand, twisting it slightly as he did so. The rocky earth beneath their feet began to shift as if it were melting, and within seconds Harry and Cedric found themselves standing on a completely smooth pathway. As the Headmaster turned towards the tunnel the path began to quickly lengthen until Harry couldn't even see the end anymore. But just as he wondered how far it went the old wizard pointed his wand down and began twirling it in a tight circle.

On either side of the path pillars began to rise up, smooth and made of stone, spaced several feet apart. Just as they reached around ten feet in height the ends seem to explode in slow motion. More of the same smooth stone shot out and began to connect with each other until, after only a few seconds, they formed a completely seamless ceiling.

Then, slowly, what looked like giant mushrooms seemed to sprout straight from the center of the ceiling. But as they lengthened and began to hang down the shapes became more elaborate and artistic. With a final flick of his wand small blue flames sprouted into existence along what Harry now recognized as chandeliers, and the entire pathway became brightly illuminated.

"There now, that should last awhile. We shouldn't have to worry about any cave-ins going forward." Dumbledore said with a smile, brushing his beard thoughtfully.

Harry gazed in awe at the corridor the Headmaster had just brought into existence. Even after the last few years of his life there were times where magic would leave him speechless. But even more than that, it reminded him of how much more he still had to learn. He looked over at Cedric, who was running his hand against one of the pillars appraisingly. While he was clearly impressed, he wasn't floored in the same way that Harry was. He wondered how much more magic the sixth year understood that Harry had yet to even learn.

"Harry?"

The sound of Dumbledore's voice dragged the teen from his thoughts. "Sir?"

"While I have endeavored to make our travel a bit less hazardous, I daresay this is still your adventure my boy. I would appreciate it if you would lead us on." Dumbledore said with an excited twinkle in his eye.

Harry nodded and began moving down the now cozy tunnel, his two companions coming up soon behind him. After a few minutes of travel he did manage to see the corridor in front of him meet abruptly with the same type of uneven dark rock it had originally been. But with every step Harry took the corridor seemed to extend, with new pillars and lights springing up automatically. He saw sections of rock easily pushed aside to make room as if they were made of marshmallow, and in fact, he could swear there was a boulder waddling out of the way on its own.

He turned back to see Dumbledore with a serene smile on his face, his wand still in hand but kept loosely at his side.

"Sir, if I may ask, how is the hallway doing that?"

"Ah." Dumbledore replied eagerly. "You will learn, Mister Potter, that it is much easier to modify an existing structure than to create one. In fact it barely takes any concentration at all."

"We've only just started on structural transfiguration." Cedric interrupted. "But I don't think even Professor McGonagall could have done this quite so quickly considering the density. And Sir, honestly, it would take most people a lot of effort even just to maintain this."

Dumbledore hummed a moment in response. "Correct me if I am wrong, Mister Diggory, but as I recall Transfiguration is your best subject?"

Cedric grinned widely. "I'm more interested in conjuration, Sir. I'm excited for next year. Though I admit I have studied ahead a bit. I feel lucky to be attending Hogwarts, Headmaster, considering that you are currently the only master of conjuration."

The older wizard smiled and nodded. "Oh I daresay, I doubt I am the only master. Never forget, either of you, that there are plenty of powerful witches and wizards in the world who are quite content living ordinary lives. Not everyone needs to have their name on a certificate, or to be highlighted in the Daily Prophet for their achievements. Why I once knew a witch who could create the most delightful peanut butter and pickle sandwiches out of thing air."

Harry smiled as he moved forward, listening to the exchange between the Headmaster and the Hufflepuff. He loved Ron and Hermione with all of his heart, but he was starting to wonder what he was missing by not having more friends. Just that morning he had bumped into those older Gryffindor's, who had seemed perfectly willing to stand by his side against Malfoy. And if breakfast had shown him anything it was that even people he knew, like Neville or Ginny, seemed to care for him much more than he thought.

And now here he was listening to Cedric, who had begun asking Dumbledore about the laws of transfiguration, and he felt like he was learning more just from listening to him talk than he did in an entire day of class. He wondered if he would be able to make friends with the older boy, or if the nature of the tournament would prevent it? On the quidditch pitch Cedric always seemed very friendly, and didn't seem to be bothered that they were on opposite sides. During the tournament, however, they would be competing even more directly, and he wasn't sure if Cedric would be able to maintain his usual sportsmanship.

Just then, as Harry was listening to Dumbledore explain an easy method for transfiguring wood into stone, he came to a sudden stop. Several feet in front of him the passageway ended, blocked off by a massive circular door. A circular door with seven ornate snakes built into it.

Harry felt his breath catch in his throat as he tried to speak, and his body tensed with nervousness. He never thought he would find himself down here again. On the other side of the door would be the place that once held the dying body of Ginny Weasley. It was the place that was home to a thousand year old basilisk that killed most creatures with a single look. But worst most of all, it was the place where he had met the memory of Tom Marvolo Riddle.

"The Chamber of Secrets." Came Cedric's awed voice.

Harry turned as the boy walked up to stand beside him, his eyes glued to the doorway and scanning every inch of it. Dumbledore's eyes, on the other hand, never left Harry as he approached the door.

"Mister Potter." He began quietly "If you need a few moments we can wait, I know it must be hard coming down here. We do not even have to go in if you do not want to."

He looked back at the Headmaster with a bit of surprise. "But Sir, wasn't it your idea to come down here?"

Dumbledore sighed, his forehead creasing slightly as he spoke. "You asked me earlier how long it takes to learn from your past. I must apologize, as I still do not know the answer. However, I do know that the very first step is to face it. But I want you to know that it does not have to be today."

Harry looked at the Headmaster for a few seconds in thought. This didn't seem to be a test, or even a riddle, like so many of the conversations they had had in the past. Dumbledore seemed to be simply offering him a choice. But before he could think of a response they were both distracted by a sudden sound.

TAP. TAP. TAP.

Harry turned to see Cedric loudly tapping his wand against the edges of the door and then, to Harry's confusion, doing the same against the raw stone it was built into.

"Blimey. This door wasn't made here, Professor, it was transfigured somewhere else and then brought down. Why would he go through all that work?"

Cedric had such a large smile on his face that if he were a dog, Harry thought, his tail would be wagging. He had to remind himself that the older boy hadn't had any part of the events that transpired here, and wasn't being haunted by the same dark memories that were holding harry back. To him this must be a grand adventure that few ever had the chance to experience.

For the second time since he had come down here Harry smiled. Maybe it was Dumbledore's reassuring presence, or Cedric's clear excitement, but he could feel much of his own wariness vanishing. Perhaps sensing this Dumbledore smiled and motioned to Harry that they should rejoin Cedric.

"I am certain, Mister Diggory, that Salazar Slytherin has warded this door with countless enchantments." Dumbledore began. "Especially when you recall that he most likely built it for the express purpose of keeping out his contemporaries, each of whom was a master of magic in their own right. I am quite certain that if Mister Potter was not with us, we would have no hope of accessing the Chamber.

Both of them now turned to Harry who was looking intently at the snakes attached to the door.

 _~Open~_ He hissed.

He stepped back as the serpents came to life and one by one slithered away from the edges of the door, each making a loud sound like a lock being undone. As the snakes became still once more the door slowly swung outwards, creaking loudly after a year of disuse.

Cedric and the Headmaster had stepped back when the door opened, but Harry moved forward. He didn't understand why, but he felt like _he_ had to be the first one to enter the Chamber, otherwise he might never go in. He approached the dark entrance, which seemed oddly smaller than the last time he had been here, and moved through it.

The second his foot landed on the other side of the entrance green light sprung forth from dozens of braziers against the walls, illuminating the rows of serpent statues that lined the pathway. Harry took a few steps forwards and looked past them to the center of the Chamber, a large circular stone cavern with a massive statue on the far wall. Salazar Slytherin looked as intimidating as he did when Harry had only been twelve, his mouth hanging open as if frozen in a scream while his eyes were cast in shadow. But what attracted Harry's attention the closer he got wasn't the Chamber's architecture, but it's one time resident.

The body of the great basilisk lay in the center of the room, its massive head turned awkwardly to the side, while its scales shimmered in the dim torchlight. But as Harry drew nearer he could see the effects that time had had on the corpse. While the scales had maintained their luster the skin seemed to sag unnaturally throughout its length, like a long balloon that had been slowly losing air. Its mouth hung open, still crowded with dangerous looking fangs, but the interior was pitch black with decay. However, what was most noticeable to Harry were the large empty sockets that once held its deadly eyes.

He stood there just staring at it for a moment, taking everything in. But the longer he stared into the empty spaces where the creature's eyes had been the more he could hear its loud echoing hiss. The last moments of its life played through his mind, and he recalled the feeling of the basilisk's fang piercing through his arm. He held his arm lightly as he then remembered holding Ginny Weasley's near lifeless body in his arms.

That's when he realized where he was standing.

As Harry looked down he saw that the stone floor around him was stained black, shooting out in all directions from exactly where he stood. The screaming howl of Tom Riddle filled his ears and became so loud he almost grabbed them to block it out. He wanted to leave, no, he wanted to run. Harry wanted to turn around and never lay his eyes on this room ever again.

What Harry did was punch the basilisk.

Two, three, four quick steps forward and he threw his fist directly into the side of its head. He could feel the hard cold scales give way instantly without any flesh to support them, only to quickly meet bone and become a solid surface. Harry heard a satisfying crunch from the corpse, as well as a jolt of pain shoot out through his fingers and up his arm. He stood back and looked at the relatively small indentation he had made in the creature's hide.

His breathing was heavy, and his hand hurt, but there was nothing for it. He knew that Tom Riddle had forced the creature to obey it, but it was still the beast that stalked the halls of Hogwarts for months and threatened the lives of countless students. It was still the monster that haunted his nightmares for weeks after, turning every long shadow into a vision of death. And even now staring at its dead body he half expected it to rise up and strike back at him. His bruised hand tightened automatically, readying itself just in case.

But just then a firm hand slapped onto his shoulder, surprising Harry who had forgotten he wasn't alone. When he turned he was again surprised to see that it wasn't the Headmaster, who was standing several feet back giving him a regretful look, but rather Cedric. The older boy was staring hard at the place Harry had hit with a very serious expression, before finally turning to face him.

"Good thinking Harry. If he wasn't dead before, that surely finished him off."

Harry blinked. And then, without any control over it, snorted loudly and began to laugh. The other boy grinned and gave him a pat on the back, while Dumbledore shook his head while he himself chuckled. The tension that Harry had felt slowly building during this entire journey slowly began to lessen and he noticed, once he stopped laughing, that he was having an easier time breathing. He hadn't even noticed how heavy the air had seemed until that feeling went away.

Dumbledore walked over slowly, and as he did so he waved his wand in a broad arch and all of the sickly green torches began emitting light of soft reds and golds. Almost immediately the damp cold that clung to the air dissipated, and Harry was surprised by how warm he was able to feel in the Chamber. He then joined the two students next to the basilisk, giving it an appraising look.

"It saddens me greatly to see such an ancient being dead before me. I must thank you once more Mister Potter for bringing to justice the one responsible for turning it into a weapon against the students." The headmaster said gravely, while slowly stroking his beard in thought.

"But Professor," Cedric said sounding confused. "It was a monster that wanted to kill students, surely it's good that it's dead?"

Dumbledore shook his head slightly before addressing the boy. "Did it want to kill students? Or did it only do so because it was ordered to? And even if not, is it right to hold an animal to human values? Surely in that situation killing it was the only practical option, but that does not mean it was not regrettable."

Harry listened carefully to the words of the Headmaster, as he moved quietly to the edges of the room. He didn't have the same interest in the basilisk that Cedric and Dumbledore had, and was perfectly happy to take a seat as far away as possible. Unfortunately this did mean that he was sharing a stone platform with a five foot tall snake statue, but with the change in light it didn't bother him as much. In fact, Harry mused, where the dim green light had given the statues evil grins, the bright orange light seemed to make them smile.

Harry decided not to share this opinion with anyone.

"The first thing to do." Came Dumbledore's voice, echoing slightly in the chamber as he and Cedric walked over towards Harry. "Is to remove the body of the basilisk. Afterwards we should seal off any areas that look dangerous, and then give the place a good cleaning. I can then make sure to fully stock the chamber with the same training equipment that the other champions have access to."

"Professor." Harry said. "I know that the body is half the size it used to be . . . "Cedric paled considerably at these words, though Harry didn't notice. "But can we levitate it out with just the three of us?"

Dumbledore chuckled. "Oh no my boy, considering its length that would be an arduous task indeed. And I wasn't planning on us doing the majority of the needed work regardless. Now that you have shown me the chamber I was planning to ask a few of the Hogwarts house elves to assist us."

"House elves?" Harry said thoughtfully. "You mean like Dobby?"

POP

"Harry Potter Sir calls for Dobby!?"

A bullet, the size of a small child, suddenly struck Harry in the side, knocking him from his perch and onto the cold stone floor. His hand, the non-injured one, landed hard and he could already feel another set of bruises forming. He winced as he sat up, rubbing his hand, and looking down at the pair of tennis ball sized eyes staring up at him.

Dobby looked significantly better than the last time Harry had seen him. His skin had gained more color and didn't seem to drape off of his bones quite as much. The tea towel he was wearing was bright white, without any dirt, and had the schools emblem embroidered proudly onto it. The elf even had on a pair of bright red socks that wouldn't have looked out of place in the Gryffindor dorms. He also noticed that the perpetual hunch he usually had was absent. But more than anything else it was the smile on the small creatures' face that told Harry that things had changed significantly for the house elf.

"Dobby?" Harry said in confusion while trying to get back on his feet. "You work here now?"

The elf backed up suddenly, as if just realizing what he had done, but though the smile turned tentative it remained on his face.

"Oh yes Harry Potter Sir! Dobby has been so happy here. No one punishes Dobby or makes him do things he shouldn't be doing. Headly-Master even _pays_ Dobby! Dobby gets one galleon a week! But most of all Dobby gets to see Harry Potter Sir every day!"

"What? Dobby I haven't seen you since the end of my second year."

At this statement Dobby's ears became droopy, and his massive eyes suddenly took a great interest in the stone floor. He twisted his long thin fingers together just as his spine began to bend in that all too familiar hunch.

"Dobby is a Hogwarts elf, but Dobby still cares greatly for Harry Potter Sir. House elves are not supposed to be seen, but house elves can still be doing the seeing. Dobby sees Harry Potter Sir as often as he can!" He completed with a squeak.

Harry could hear Cedric stifling his laughter, but he didn't care. He looked down at Dobby, trying to catch his eye.

"How often do you check up on me Dobby?" He asked.

If possible Dobby hunched even further. "Dobby has been very busy lately, Harry Potter Sir. Dobby has been having to watch over a friend, and Dobby cleans Gryffindor tower on his own. Dobby does not have the time he did over the summer. But Dobby still checks on Harry Potter Sir forty or fifty times."

"Dobby! Look at me!" Harry said in disbelief, causing the elf to crane his neck upward. "Are you saying you've seen me _fifty_ times this year?"

Dobby's already massive eyes seemed to grow to almost twice their size. "Of course not Harry Potter Sir! Dobby sees Harry Potter Sir at least that many times each _day_. Dobby would do more, but Dobby does have work to do."

At this the nearby Hufflepuff lost his composure and began to laugh in earnest. Even the Headmaster seemed to gain a sudden interest in a statue across the room, as he had suddenly turned away. His violet robes _almost_ hiding the shaking of his shoulders. Harry could only stare at the elf.

"Dobby." He said firmly while stepping closer. The elf instinctively flinched when he reached out his hand, but Harry rested it carefully on his small shoulder.

"The next time you come to see me, I don't want you to be hidden, I want you to say hello. You are my friend. I like seeing my friends."

Harry smiled down at Dobby who just stood there staring up at him. His eyes began to shimmer in the firelight, as his body slightly swayed.

"Harry Potter Sir is truly the greatest wizard to ever live." He said softly, a slight tremble in his voice.

Harry coughed and looked away, uncomfortable as always with some of the things Dobby said. But a part of him was still glad to see the elf again, and know that he was doing well. His appearance also had the benefit of making Harry completely forget about his earlier anxiety. In an effort to distract Dobby he started to move back towards the center of the chamber.

Dumbledore followed while stroking his beard, a twinkle in his eye, but silent. Cedric had forced himself to stop laughing rather quickly, but lagged behind until he regained his composure. Dobby had followed Harry without looking away from him, the soft sound of his sock covered feet echoing lightly as he scurried along.

"So Dobby . . " Harry started, trying to move things along. "The Headmaster says you can help us get rid of this?" He motioned towards the corpse of the great snake.

The elf's still wet eyes shifted to the body. "Yes Harry Potter Sir. Dobby can do so without trouble. Where does Headly-Master want me to take it?"

Dumbledore hummed for a moment in thought while walking around the remains in a slow circle.

"The skin should be powdered and delivered to Professor Snape, he can use it to brew several uncommon potions that Madame Pomfrey will greatly appreciate. The venom must all be carefully drained away, especially from the fangs, as it is still rather potent. And the skeleton . . . hmmm"

Dumbledore looked to Harry, a smile clearly present under this bearded face.

"I believe that you should have it, Mister Potter, as you were the one who slew the beast."

Harry was a bit taken aback. He had never come down here to "slay a beast", he had only meant to get Ron's sister out of here as safely as possible. He looked it over briefly. The decayed body, though less than half its original size, was still massive and he had trouble thinking of a place that he could store it. Even his Gringotts vault wouldn't be big enough, and he didn't even know if the Goblins would be willing to store it.

And besides, Harry didn't particularly want it.

"I would rather just let the school have it Professor." Harry admitted honestly.

He didn't catch the astonished look Cedric, who had just caught up with them, made. Only the intense merriment in Dumbledore's eyes had his attention.

"Very well my boy, I promise to find a suitable place. Dobby, would you please remove the body and take care of what we have discussed, and then come find me for further instructions."

Dobby nodded vigorously, his bat-like ears flapping hard against his face. He then placed a hand on the creatures scaly body, gave Harry a shy wave, and then . .

POP

The body of the great basilisk was gone, and so was Dobby. The Chamber seemed much larger now, and significantly less ominous.

"Well now." Dumbledore began. "Since I have two capable assistants, how about we make some improvements? Mister Diggory, you say Transfiguration is your favorite subject, yes? That pool of water by the statue is a bit dangerous, and it would be a fine test of your skills to take care of it. Mister Potter, I know you are not as advanced in your studies, but I think some simple cleaning charms would honestly do this place wonders."

The two students nodded and strode off in two different directions, while the older wizard stared up at the ceiling with a thoughtful expression. Harry walked purposefully towards a black stain in the center of the chamber, his wand pulled eagerly into his hand.

"Scourgify!" he incanted, striking his wand downward towards the floor. The black ink that seemed to permanently stain the stone suddenly vanished in a cloud of particles, as if it were just a pile of soot waiting for a strong breeze. The area around it also lightened in color significantly as a thousand years of grime vanished. Harry grinned, a small weight lifting from his heart, and he eagerly began casting the spell again on the surrounding stonework.

Cedric on the other hand was extremely quiet, holding out his wand with both hands and pointing it to the small pool of water at the base of Slytherin's statue. He had the appearance of someone struggling to catch a large fish at the end of an invisible line, twisting and turning his hands slightly and trying to pull back against an unseen force.

But very slowly the water began to recede, and new stonework seemed to grow out of the old and cover up the area it had been in. It was obviously not an easy transfiguration for the Hufflepuff, but he was grinning as his magic worked. After about five minutes, around the time Harry was done throwing scourgify's around, there was solid floor right up to the statue without a hint of any water.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, waved his wand like a painter creating a new masterpiece. His arm soared in wide arcs, creating banners and drapes that hung from the ceiling, some of which reached all the way to the floor. The cold stone walls were soon covered in soft velvet's of green, yellow, red, and blue; all of the Hogwarts house colors.

He looked upward and spun his hands, twisting his wand, and a flat yellow object began to form. As if he were tossing a pizza he tossed the spinning something into the air, which suddenly expanded out to an enormous size. Cedric had to quickly move to the side of the room as a plush rug landed onto the freshly cleaned stone floors.

Both students had stopped working by now and were watching as Dumbledore circled the area, stroking his beard in thought. With a bit of a hum he pointed his wand towards an empty space, and whipped it quickly to the side. A long blue sofa, large enough for at least several people and in the shape of a half circle appeared from nowhere, hitting the ground with a loud thud. A large coffee table joined it quickly, with a massive bookcase a few feet behind it against the wall. Two armchairs, both a deep green, appeared on the opposite side of the table just before a number of smaller end tables came into existence around the area.

In less than a minute Harry was staring at a very comfortable sitting area that felt more like a house's common room than the feared Chamber of Secrets. He turned to say something to the elder wizard, but he had already moved on to the other side of the room.

Dumbledore tapped his wand against the lone wall still had the original exposed stonework, and after mumbling a few words softly he seemed to nod approvingly. Pulling from his pocket he set down half a dozen small objects, which Harry almost thought looked like tin soldiers from far away. But as the bearded wizard waved his hand the small forms grew considerably.

They were not tin soldiers, but they did have a human shape. The figures were seemingly made from wood and completely black, except for a large white circle painted on the chest. And instead of legs there was a single wheel. The headmaster pointed his wand and each of them backed up against the wall on their own.

"There now, I think that will do for starters." He clapped his hands and turned to his two students. "An area to study and an area for practice. The walls of the Chamber, as I had hoped, are highly protected against magic. You should not have to worry about causing any damage. And of course no one other than those you let in Mister Potter while be able to get in." He said, smiling excitedly.

Harry looked around the room in awe, unbelieving that this was the same chamber as before. It looked as if he were inside of a huge lavish tent rather than being underground in a stone chamber. The only things that remained to prove this was still the Chamber of Secrets were the rows of snake statues along the entrance, and the massive statue of Salazar Slytherin.

"I'm allowed to bring people down here, Professor?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore chuckled. "I have no doubt that you would have brought down Mister Weasley and Miss Granger regardless of my permission. But yes, this room is for the Champions use. You can bring down anyone that you wish to aid with your training. I'm also going to be assigning your friend Dobby to take care of your needs down here."

Dumbledore frowned a bit and looked towards him seriously.

"You have a lot of catching up to do Mister Potter. The other Champions are highly skilled and much more knowledgeable about more advanced forms of magic. I know you like to do many things yourself, but the time it would take you to get to the library and back is time you need to spend studying."

Harry was half ready to disagree with the Headmaster, but he also knew that he was right. Instead he simply nodded, somewhat sheepishly. Dumbledore beamed again, and looked back and forth at each of the boys.

"Well now, we should make our way back upstairs so we do not miss lunch. I personally would like a lemon tart after all of this adventure." He finished smiling.

Dumbledore headed towards the exit, Harry following after another moment of looking around at the redecorated Chamber. Cedric, surprisingly, didn't move.

"Hold on, we're not going all the way back out the snake's exit are we?" The Hufflepuff said with a questioning look

Both Harry and Dumbledore stopped their retreat and turned to look at him. The older wizard stroking his beard as he did when he was in thought, and the Boy-Who-Lived just giving him a questioning look.

"The snake's exit Mister Diggory?"

Cedric cocked his head slightly and nodded towards the large entryway.

"Giant circular door? Five times bigger than it needs to be? Opens on its own when a snake speaks? Winds through a bunch of dirty tunnels to a massive slide? That's clearly not the way people are meant to get in and out right?" The older boy said looking confused.

Harry had never thought of this. The only way they had managed to get out originally was by having Fawkes fly them out, which would be a very impractical way to get in and out of the Chamber. Even the entryway in the girl's bathroom seemed a bit unorthodox now that he mentioned it.

Dumbledore's eyes turned towards Harry, twinkling brightly as if fireworks were going off inside of his head. "You know my boy, I think I would agree with Mister Diggory. Perhaps we should investigate the chamber a bit? Maybe there is still a mystery here." He said, bouncing slightly on his feet.

"That may have been easier to do Sir before we modified everything." Harry said with a frown, looking around at all the covered walls and hidden away alcoves.

But the Headmaster simply waved his hand. "Not to worry, not to worry, I am sure we can still find it. I would recommend splitting up, but I dare say it is more likely that we will need your special talent to locate the exit."

Harry nodded and looked around, his eyes landing on the nearest snake statue. He walked over quickly and started peering at the snake's likeness. The fangs, the tongue, the scales, they all reminded him of the basilisk that he was so afraid of not even an hour ago.

 _~Open?~_ he hissed. Unsurprisingly though, nothing happened. He tried hard to keep the image of a snake in his mind, as he pulled away from the statue. He started to walk around the room very slowly, not wanting to lose it.

 _~Open!~_ he hissed again, much louder this time. He almost felt himself slip back into English, but he remembered the sounds the basilisk made as it struck at him, and how the scales had shimmered in the dim light.

 _~Open!~_

 _~Doorway!~_

 _~Exit!~_

Suddenly there was a loud grinding of stone, and all three heads turned. Harry's jaw instantly dropped. He had expected something like the Chamber entrance in the girl's bathroom, or even something like the entrance to Dumbledore's office. But _this_? Well . . . _this_ was a bit much.

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

I can't believe how long it took me to write this chapter. I fell terribly ill halfway through it, and even though I tried to write here and there I never really got anywhere. I literally took months before things got back to normal, and I ended up having to rewrite the whole chapter because I had so many sections that didn't connect anymore.

But overall I think this is a fun chapter. It ran much longer than I had expected, I had not originally planned for so much to happen. However the more I wrote it the more it felt like "this is when x should happen." Originally setting up the room, meeting Dobby, exploring the chamber, that was all going to be spread out at different times in the story. Instead the writing flowed from me much more when I decided to just let it all happen at once.

Cedric is such a fun character to write. We never really get to see a lot of him in the books, so I realize this is my 'headcannon' Cedric. But I like him, and we're going to be seeing a lot more of him for sure.

The entire scene where Harry punches the basilisk corpse is something I wrote when I had a fever, and I don't remember writing it. I laughed so hard when I reread it that it's literally the only part of my original draft I kept. Does it fit the tone of the story? Not sure. Was it fun? Heck yeah.


	10. 10: Worlds Collide

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews. Unless it relates to apostrophes, which I have learned I have no control over.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better writer.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

* * *

Chapter 10: Worlds Collide

The corridor was mostly empty as Harry walked quickly towards the Great Hall. He caught sight of a few older students milling about here and there, but he knew almost everyone would already be at the start of lunch. He looked down at his robes as he moved, checking for any sign of dust or grime, but was happy to see that everything seemed normal. He was just about to round the corner towards the Entrance Hall when a hand caught his shoulder.

"Harry!" Came the slightly out of breath voice of one of the people he had spent most of the morning with.

"Cedric? What's wrong?" Harry asked, turning around and looking quizzically at the older boy.

"I looked away for a moment and when I turned back you had already gone. That whole thing was _brilliant_ , I can't believe we got to spend the entire morning with Dumbledore down in the Chamber of Secrets!" He exclaimed excitedly.

Harry smiled back. "What about you? If it wasn't for you we wouldn't have found that new passageway. I won't have to visit the girl's bathroom every time I want to train. Though I really have been meaning to talk to Myrtle . . . "

Cedric was bouncing on his feet with energy as he looked up the hall. "If it wasn't for you we never would have been able to get it to work, doesn't matter if I thought to look for it. Listen, I'm not going to be able to get over it for the rest of the day, grab a bite with me?"

The younger boy was taken aback by that. "You mean, have lunch together? But we're rivals aren't we?"

The Hufflepuff laughed. "Potter, we're obviously _both_ Hogwarts Champions no matter what some Goblet says. Come on mate, grab your two friends and come over to our table. Or can lions and badgers not eat together now?"

Cedric grinned in that broad way he seemed to do often, and Harry couldn't help but return the gesture.

"Alright, give me a minute to check on them. Getting Ron to move while he's eating might be impossible."

The older boy nodded with a laugh and they both moved quickly into the Great Hall. As Harry suspected it was packed with students, but people had only just started to fill their plates. It didn't seem like their underground adventure had taken as long as it seemed.

A few heads turned when Harry entered the room, as was usual for him, and it was possible that the volume of conversation increased slightly. But he was used to it by this point, and for once he was too excited for his mind to dwell on it. He looked up and down along the Gryffindor table and quickly caught sight of a bright head of red hair sitting across from a bushy mane of brown. Hermione it seems had been keeping her eye out, because she was already waving towards him.

He smiled and moved quickly down the table, giving a few nods to a few of his favorite housemates. When he reached his two best friends he was happy to see that Hermione only had tea, and that Ron was still loading up his plate and hadn't started yet.

"There you bloody are, we haven't seen you all morning mate. We thought we would meet up right after History got out." Ron grumbled, but in a tone that told Harry he wasn't actually that upset.

Hermione had been sipping her tea, but she turned to him and he _knew_ a minute long question was about to spill out of her mouth. Instead of allowing that to happen he held up his hand to speak first.

"I'll explain later, although I am sure you will hear about it in a minute. Listen, how would the both of you feel about having lunch with Cedric today?" Harry asked somewhat hastily.

Ron immediately looked up from his food, while Hermione's eyes did an amazing impression of an owl.

"You feeling alright, mate? You know he's the enemy right?" Ron said, looking extremely puzzled.

Harry simply shook his head. "He told me that we're _both_ Hogwarts Champions and invited me to lunch. He even said I should bring the both of you. Actually, that's where I was, I ended up with him all morning. He's honestly a nice guy."

Hermione's cheeks flushed lightly as her eyes shifted into a far off look. "You were alone with Cedric all morning . . ." she said in a small voice that almost seemed like she was talking to herself.

"Well." Harry said slightly puzzled. "Me, him, and Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore!?" They both said at the same time in raised voices. A few people looked their way, but only for a moment. Harry simply grabbed Ron by the arm and halfheartedly tried to pull him to his feet.

"We'll talk about it, I promise. But Cedric's probably saving seats for us. Do you want to come, or am I going alone?" Harry said in a slightly pleading voice.

But at this Ron stood up quickly, unbalancing Harry for a second. "No way are you going over there alone. I know they are badgers, but it could still be a trap or a prank. We'll go with you, right Hermione?"

Hermione wasn't looking at either of them, and had gone back to muttering into her tea.

"I need to stop reading those books Lavender leaves out . . ."

"Her-My-Oh-Knee." Ron said again, much more forcefully.

"What?! Oh. Yes. Of course we'll both go." She said quickly, setting her tea down and grabbing her rather hefty book bag.

Fortunately the Hufflepuff table was directly next to Gryffindor's, so they didn't have to go far. It only took Harry and Ron a few seconds to meet Hermione and then look for Cedric. That also only took a few seconds, as there was only one gap along the entire row where no one was sitting, and it happened to be facing the Gryffindor side of the table.

Harry quickly moved towards it, and found a smiling Cedric sitting on the opposite side. Two older Hufflepuffs were sitting on either side of the gap, both fifth years that he recognized. Albert Summers was a wiry dark skinned boy who, like Harry, wasn't very tall for his age. Harry remembered him as one of the people who attempted to cross the age-line with an aging potion. He was being pushed against somewhat roughly by the people sitting next to him. But he grinned up at Harry all the same, seeming to ignore it.

On the other hand Maxine O'Flaherty, one of the Hufflepuff quidditch team's beaters, was frowning at him with her arms crossed. She had bright blonde hair that was unusually short, and the sleeves of her robes were rolled up to expose her muscular arms. Although only a fifth year she was the tallest girl in the school, and if her ability as a beater was any indication she was one of the strongest as well. Unsurprisingly no one was pushing against her.

"The famous trio arrives. Welcome oh mighty lions to the realm of us humble badgers. I hope you find our food acceptable compared to your usual fare." Cedric proclaimed magnanimously, holding his arms out wide in greeting. Summers snorted deeply and smacked the side of the table, while O'Flaherty's frown deepened.

"It's literally the same food they have over there, Cedric." She stated flatly. Her voice was husky, but not as deep as Harry would have thought.

Ron, at mention of food, had already sat down besides the older boy and was piling up his plate. Hermione shot a somewhat timid look towards the remaining seats, but carefully sat next to the Hufflepuff beater. Harry grinned at Cedric's antics and slipped between his two friends to sit opposite Cedric in the final seat.

"Let me introduce you all, this over here is my friend Albert, who is the cleverest in our house." The dark skinned boy grinned and gave him a quick wave, which Harry returned. "And the person with tree trunks for arms is Max, the best beater Hufflepuff's ever had."

Harry nodded towards her and was surprised to see that instead of being offended she seemed rather pleased with her introduction.

"Er." Harry began awkwardly. "This is Ron, and this is Hermione." He paused as he thought for a moment. "Ron has the best appetite in our house, and Hermione is basically a library."

Hermione promptly smacked him in the back of the head, much to Cedric and Albert's amusement, while Ron had started eating and didn't seem to have noticed. He only nodded down towards his sandwich when his name was mentioned.

"Putting that aside. . ." Hermione said with a slight scowl. "Harry says that you invited us over for a friendly get together? A rather odd thing for a rival champion to do?"

Cedric simply smiled back, which actually did cause Hermione's scowl to lessen.

" _Friendly_ rivals, at worst Hermione. Harry and I are still both Hogwarts students, and I think we can all agree that the most important thing is to bring glory to the school. Besides, Harry's years younger than the rest of us. He needs all the help he can get, and friendship is some of the best help I can offer." He concluded before taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.

"This is the fire crab all over again Cedric . . ." Maxine, or "Max" said in a warning tone.

"Professor Kettleburn said to stroke it to calm it down." Cedric said while specifically looking towards his pumpkin juice.

"It was _On. Fire. Cedric."_ She stated very firmly, emphasizing each word.

"We were upsetting it, there were too many of us, it could have had a heart attack!" The other Champion said pleadingly. "I was out of the hospital wing before lunch in any case, nothing bad happened."

She slammed her hands hard on the table, a few of the nearby goblets shaking as she did so. "We had a game the next day Cedric, what if you couldn't catch the snitch because your hand was burned?"

"He'd pull a Potter and swallow the thing." Came Albert's voice for the first time. It was bright but drawled slightly at the end.

Harry wanted to forget about how his very first game of quidditch had ended by swallowing the snitch. It didn't seem like other people were willing to do the same, however. Ron actually laughed and almost lost the last of his sandwich. Luckily it didn't seem like Hermione was willing to be distracted by the conversation.

"Yes, well, getting _back_ on topic. I still find it highly suspect that you would invite us over out of the blue like this. I am also especially surprised to hear that you and Harry happened to spend the entire morning together in the presence of the Headmaster." She said while giving Cedric a significant look.

Max looked surprised at this while Albert gave a low whistle.

"You didn't mention that to us Ced?" He said while looking expectantly at the taller boy.

"We didn't have the chance yet. Honestly, besides getting to know each other more the main reason I invited you over was so we could talk about this morning."

As Cedric spoke his smile became brighter and brighter, and Harry noticed a slight tremor in his body. He recognized it instantly as the look of someone whose knee was bouncing like a rubber ball. Harry was used to seeing it from other students during the last minute of almost all of his classes.

"It was just _brilliant_! I can't believe you've known where it was for years and haven't gone back down there!" He exclaimed so forcefully Harry realized he must have been holding back for some time.

Everyone else looked completely confused. Even Ron, who was now taking small bites of a roll, his original sandwich nowhere in sight.

"I didn't exactly have good memories associated with that place." He replied somberly. Noticing the sudden look on Cedric's face, however, he quickly continued "Oh, but now I do! I feel a lot better about it now that we've cleaned up. Plus having Dumbledore around always makes a place feel safer."

He shot Cedric a grin that he hoped would reassure him. He really did feel fine about the Chamber now, but he didn't think Cedric had ever understood the feelings he had about it before. After a few seconds the boy nodded and his usual smile returned to his face.

"What are you two talking about!?" Hermione said in exasperation while looking between the two of them.

"Bloody hell, you both went down to the Chamber of Secrets?"

The volume around the Hufflepuff table suddenly dropped by half. There was a clatter of silverware as heads swiveled sharply in their direction. Even people who had seemingly been in deep conversations had stopped talking instantly. A few of the closer students at the nearby Ravenclaw and Gryffindor tables were craning their heads towards them as well.

Harry hunched a bit in his seat, embarrassed by the attention. While it wasn't the whole hall, it was still a lot of people. He looked towards Ron who was staring at him dumbfounded, his food forgotten.

"Dumbledore wanted to go down while I was out of class. Cedric was already in his office when I got there." Harry admitted in an apologetic tone. "I wouldn't have gone down there otherwise, but I am glad I did. Seeing it with Dumbledore helped me get over what happened."

Ron was frowning and clearly upset as he looked back towards him. He could hear Hermione behind him squirming in her seat, dying to say something, but obviously holding back until it was appropriate. He knew Ron would probably not like that he had gone on an adventure without him, no matter how small, but it really was mostly, at the Headmaster's urging. He had to say something to fix the situation.

"I'm sorry." Both Harry and Ron said at the same time.

Harry blinked in surprise. "What do you mean you're 'sorry'? What do you have to be 'sorry' for?"

"You having to go down into the Chamber without me being there like last time. I should have been there for you, I know you don't like thinking of the place. Why in the bloody hell are _you_ sorry?"

"From going down there without you?" Harry replied somewhat dumbly.

". . . boys." Hermione sighed.

"Um, alright, excuse me, can we get back on topic of the Chamber of Secrets please?" Albert demanded, looking from Harry to Cedric.

"It was so much bigger than I expected!" The older Hufflepuff exclaimed, a bright smile on his face. There were some sudden murmurs from the surrounding people.

"Harry, why in the world would Dumbledore take you down there now? Aren't there a few more _important_ things going on right now?" Hermione said. "Maybe the tournament?"

"It was for the tournament, Hermione." Harry responded quickly. "I needed a place to train for the tasks, and Dumbledore said all the other places were taken by the three Champions. He had the idea that the Chamber would be big enough, as well as . . "

"As well as you being the only person able to open it!" Hermione completed in a single breath. "Of course that's brilliant. Not even Dumbledore could get down there if you didn't let him it, it's unlikely anyone from the other schools will be able to interfere with your training."

"Right." Harry said while nodding. "So the three of us went down there to clean it up a bit and get it ready. It actually looks fairly comfortable now. There's lots of places to sit, and there's a place to store some books as well. And best of all he said I could take anyone down there to help me train."

"I want to go!" Albert said brightly. Even Max nodded slowly as she thought this over.

"Guys, it's _Harry's_ training room." Came Cedric's voice. "I'll be more than happy to take the two of you to my training room if you want."

"Your training room isn't the Chamber of Secrets is it?" the dark boy responded in a humorless tone.

"It _would_ be a bad idea to let people know where the entrance is." Hermione said a bit sheepishly. "Someone already put your name into the Goblet, what's to stop them or someone else from attacking you the moment you leave?"

"I can think of a few Slytherin's who would do it regardless of the tournament." Ron said darkly, shooting a glare towards the far table crowded with green robed students.

"Hufflepuff's aren't Slytherin's." Max said in a very firm voice.

"Cedric, you were down there." Harry said, looking towards the older boy. "You helped clean up the place. If you want to show it off to your friends that's okay with me. We just can't tell everybody."

"Then let's go right now then!" Albert said enthusiastically, while pulling up his book bag.

"Unfortunately we," Hermione said, indicating herself, Ron, and Harry. "Have Herbology after lunch. The first free period we have isn't until tomorrow morning."

Albert looked upset at this, but then brightened up. "Then first thing tomorrow then? I am sure it is worth the wait."

Cedric tapped his fork against his plate in thought. "I have Care in the morning. But Professor Hagrid would be okay with it if I said I was practicing for the tournament. I don't want to drop the class if I can help it, but it's the only one I can really afford to miss."

"Pffft." Ron snorted. "Harry dropped half his classes."

Cedric nodded approvingly. "Makes sense, you're only a fourth year. You still have to take classes like Astronomy which won't really help you later in life."

"Not all of us are sixth years Cedric . . . " Max growled softly in his direction.

"Well focus on your O.W.L.'s this year, and then you won't have to lose sleep star gazing next year." He replied.

"I like astronomy . . . " Albert said while taking a swig of pumpkin juice.

"Back. On. Track." Hermione said, getting everyone's attention. "Harry, if you really want to do this then we should all agree to meet tomorrow at the second floor landing." She finished in a hushed voice as she looked around suspiciously.

"Er, best make it the entrance hall Hermione. We don't need to go upstairs." Harry replied with an equally subdued voice.

"What are you . . " But before Hermione could finish there was a loud tapping sound coming from the head table. Professor McGonagall was tapping her wand and looking down sternly at each of the students.

"I would say that it is time for you all to hurry off to class with the rest of your schoolmates, wouldn't you say?" The professor said, her voice loud and clear throughout the hall as she stared in their direction with a disapproving frown.

Harry looked around and was shocked to see that over half the Great Hall was no longer present. But it wasn't his fault that he hadn't noticed, considering the other half of the Hall was completely surrounding where he was sitting. Almost every student within several feet of where Harry and his friends were sitting was still present, and from their expressions equally shocked by the revelation that the rest of the school was gone.

There was a sudden loud scraping of benches against stone floor as the dozens of students quickly gathered their things and headed for the door. Ron shoved half a sausage into his mouth before scrambling half way over Albert and making for the doorway.

Harry simply grabbed his bag before standing up, making sure to help Hermione with her always overloaded book bag as they headed out.

"That was a bit strange . . " Harry mused to her as they made their way outside towards the greenhouses.

Hermione let out a long exasperated huff as she shouldered her bag. "Harry, I love you like family, I honestly do. But Dumbledore was right, you need to start understanding the influence you have."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You really think that was strange?" Hermione gave him a look that was almost pitying. "Harry, we just told you last night, people look to you. It doesn't matter what you are doing, their eyes search for you when they have nothing better to do. Imagine we went to school with Peter Pan, it wouldn't matter if the stories were true, you would still watch him to see if he could fly. "

As the greenhouse game into view she looked around pointedly before turning and talking straight to him. "And now imagine you have half an eye and ear on someone, especially considering everything that happened last night. And then they start talking about the Chamber of Secrets? Of course half the hall is going to forget what they were doing!"

Hermione squeezed her book bag and spun on the spot, quickly walking into the greenhouse with Harry catching up just behind her.

"Five points from Gryffindor." Came Professor Sprout's stern voice from the other side of the room. "For being the last to arrive so late, Mister Potter."

Harry frowned as he headed over to the table were Ron was hastily filling what seemed to be a random pot with soil. It wasn't the loss of points that bothered him though, it was Hermione's words. They hadn't been speaking about the Chamber in raised voices at all, and it didn't seem like everything they talked about was being listened to.

It must have been because of Cedric. Cedric was handsome, popular, and now a Triwizard Champion. That and the fact that Harry, a Gryffindor, was sitting at the Hufflepuff table, was probably what drew so much attention.

Having completely rationalized Hermione's comments away Harry now began to focus on their work, re-potting some wispthistles. He pulled his gloves on and stood firmly next to Ron, taking in his progress.

"Are you sure about this Harry?" Ron questioned as he reached for the nearest plant.

"It has the purplish hue." Harry replied, turning the small plant in his hands. "And I can smell the hint of butterscotch."

"Not the plant Harry." Ron said in a frown. "I mean the Chamber, and going down there tomorrow. Are you sure it's a good idea?"

Harry lowered his voice considerably, just in case. "Ron, really, it's completely different down there now. You wouldn't recognize it from the first time."

"Didn't bloody see it the first time, did I?" The red head stated as he slammed some dirt into the pot. "I was babysitting the peacock, remember? But what I meant was, you sure about letting the competition down there?"

Harry sighed. "Ron, Cedric's already _been_ down there, he helped fix it up. In fact when Dumbledore said there was nowhere I could train Cedric volunteered to give up his space. He's a decent person, and I need to trust people if I am going to get help for the tournament."

His best friend showed him a skeptical look as he roughly pulled the plant out of its pot, tearing away several of the roots. "So you aren't nervous at all about tomorrow?"

The dark haired boy simply shook his head.

"Ron, trust me, there's nothing to be nervous about."

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

 _OF COURSE_ we're going to see more Hufflepuffs, can you blame me? I promise that every house is going to get some love, but it's going to happen organically rather than be planned out. I have a good number of well-known students from other houses, mostly in Harry's year, that we'll see more and more of as time goes on. I hope my versions of them will live up to others I have read, but as almost none of them have speaking roles in the books you can't really blame me if I put a lot of spin on them.

Have I mentioned The List yet? I think I may have briefly, but I'll explain it again. In all of the books we honestly only meet a small handful of students, and there are TONS that we not only never see but that are never mentioned at all. So where do I look when I need to introduce an older or younger student that we don't know already?

Well, before I started writing I made The List. It's a list of every Hogwarts student during the Triwizard Tournament. That's two hundred and eighty names, with about a dozen others I've set aside in case I need any from Durmstrang or Beauxbatons. Somewhere between a quarter and a third of them are actually mentioned (thought never seen) during the books, but most of them aren't. I pieced them all together from various lists of students found on different websites.

Sometimes it's easy, like with Emily Richards who we know during Harry's second year stated she thought Harry played a prank on Filch's cat, but couldn't believe he was the Heir of Slytherin. However, Steven Osterley isn't from the books at all! He's an "older Gryffindor student" that apparently was in one of the old Playstation games. Not ideal, but I needed more older Gryffindor's, so now he's on the list.

Unsurprisingly Hufflepuff was the hardest house to fill out. No one writes about Hufflepuffs. *sob*


	11. 11: Safe Passage

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews. Unless it relates to apostrophes, which I have learned I have no control over.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better writer.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

* * *

Chapter 11: Safe Passage

"I don't like the look of this." Harry said nervously.

It was the next morning and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were waiting in the Entrance Hall for their new Hufflepuff friends. The only problem was that they weren't the only ones who had decided to meet here.

Around fifty other students were loitering around the hall as if waiting for something. Most of them were in small groups of friends, holding private conversations that Harry couldn't overhear due to the buzzing of the room. But every minute or so eyes would dart in his direction, and he thought he had a pretty good idea why there were so many people in the normally abandoned hall so early in the morning.

"You were right Hermione, people were listening. They want to know where the Chamber is." Harry whispered to her carefully.

Hermione huffed, blowing some of her bushy hair out of her face. "Well we'll just have to do this another time. It's too dangerous to let the entire school know where you will be coming and going from. At least while the tournament is going on."

"We could use the cloak." Ron suggested. "At least if there were just the three of us. Maybe someone could come back for Cedric or the others?"

Harry nodded. He would rather start training straight away, and the sooner everyone got to take a look at the Chamber the sooner he could focus on the tasks ahead.

"We'll see what they say when they get here." Harry said, looking at the nodding Hermione for confirmation.

"Hey, look at that!" came a shout from just outside the main doors. A younger Hufflepuff student was bouncing on his feet and pointing off into the distance towards the lake.

One of his friends rushed across the hall and looked where he was pointing. "I can't _believe_ that!" he shouted, just as excitedly.

The large gathering of students suddenly made a crush towards the doorway with many of the Gryffindor's, Harry noticed, trying to push their way to the front. Ron was a step ahead of Harry as they went for the door, but suddenly a pair of hands had grabbed them each by the robes.

"The real show is the other way isn't it?" Albert said, as he pulled them back and nodded towards the door to the dungeons.

"But something's going on outside." Ron protested, though he hurried along behind Hermione as she slipped through the passage.

Albert closed the door behind the three quickly and nudged them down the stairs. "Nothing to see, I promise my little lions. Just a couple of badgers making a ruckus to take prying eyes off of the doorway. Though we still need to be quick, that type of thing doesn't work on everyone. It only takes one Ravenclaw . . ."

The four of them turned the corner and were met with a waiting Cedric and Max standing in the hallway. Cedric had his trademark smile, while Max simply nodded approvingly.

"Let's hurry then. I've secured us safe passage through the lower dungeons, so we won't have to worry about being followed once we make it there." Max said before turning swiftly.

" ' _Secured us safe passage_?' " Hermione repeated in a questioning tone. "Why would we need that?"

Cedric and Albert both laughed, while Max simply grunted.

"Must be nice." Cedric commented. "Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, living in your ivory towers. Down here it's all about territory."

Cedric held his arms wide and spun around.

" _THIS_." He proclaimed loudly. "Is the basement."

"Mate, sorry to break it to you but it's just the dungeons." Ron said, in a slightly amused tone.

But Cedric and Albert shot him a dark look that caught the trio by surprise.

"No. It's the _basement_." Albert insisted firmly.

Cedric coughed and forced his usual smile back onto his face.

"You see, there are three lower levels to Hogwarts that are under the ground floor. The basement has our common room, the kitchens, the equipment rooms, laundry rooms, etc. It is firmly Hufflepuff territory."

The group turned and went down a winding staircase. As they went Harry noticed the light becoming dimmer and that there was a slight chill in the air.

"This here is the Upper Dungeon" Albert continued. "It has the classrooms, potions store room, and the offices of some of the professors. It's neutral ground. No matter what any of the serpents tell you."

A quick turn again, this time down a straight and narrow staircase Harry had used just yesterday. The light faded even faster, as the temperature drastically dropped.

Max held up a hand to slow their pace. "We are entering the Lower Dungeon now. It's a green zone, completely controlled by the Slytherins. We let them pass through the basement, as long as they don't hang around. People need to get through there, plus we'd never deny anyone a late night snack. But as far as we know the only thing down here is the Slytherin common room, so Hufflepuff's don't come down here. Being caught down here alone is . . inadvisable."

The group of six reached the bottom of the stairs and saw a long dark corridor that Harry had first seen with Ron when they were in their second year. He knew they were just around the corner from the Slytherin common room.

Just as Harry finished that thought a large shadow emerged from a side passageway.

"You're early." Came a surprisingly feminine voice.

As Harry's eyes adjusted to the darkness the shadowy figure became more apparent, and he found himself almost wishing he hadn't come. There was only one girl in Slytherin whose size came close to Max's, and though he had never spoken with her directly he could easily pick Millicent Bulstrode out in a crowded room.

Her arms were folded across her black and green robes, and her hair was very uncharacteristically tied into pigtails. She wasn't actually ugly, as many people liked to joke, but she wasn't traditionally beautiful either. Her face had a hardness in the way ancient roman sculptures seemed to show, which wasn't helped by her larger than average physique.

"We got away easier than expected." Max replied as she fished a small pouch out of her robes and tossing it towards the other girl.

The Slytherin opened up the bag and peered inside, grinning wickedly.

"Right then. You're safe to go on through, but I wouldn't wander. If anyone other than a prefect tries to bother you tell them to take it up with me. You should still get wherever you are going fast." She gave the group a stiff nod, and jerked her thumb down the hall.

Max returned her nod and walked swiftly past, glancing back to make sure the rest of the group followed her. Once they were well out of sight and had taken two different turns it was Ron that finally broke the silence.

"Bloody hell, the snakes can't just act like they own the place!"

"They _do_ own the place Weasley." Albert said while looking around nervously. "Literally the only thing down here is the Slytherin common room. They own it as much as you own your fancy tower."

Harry frowned at this. "We don't walk around like we own the place though."

The three Hufflepuff's all laughed.

Cedric turned to Harry with a bit of a sad smile. "I was a third year the last time I tried to walk around Gryffindor tower freely. Sometimes I still jump when I bump into something. I'll never forget those stinging hexes." He rubbed his behind somewhat dramatically before giving a small chuckle.

"And _what_ " Hermione, who had been silent up until now, suddenly interjected forcefully "was in that bag you handed over? I'm not exactly alright with the idea of . . of . . _paying_ someone off."

Max turned her head slightly to give Hermione an appraising look up and down.

"Granger, you're a muggle-born right?"

Both Harry and Ron tensed, with Ron moving in front of Hermione slightly.

"Hermione's the brightest witch in our year." Harry stated firmly.

Max just laughed. "Merlin, you'd think I was insulting her."

Harry just stared back at her in confusion as Ron gave her an angry, if equally confused, glare.

" . . . the three of you need to get out more." Albert sighed as he gave Harry a gentle pat on the back.

"Catch, Granger."

Max turned and tossed something small and dark towards Hermione, who yelped softly and caught it just barely between her hands. As she looked down and opened her hands Harry saw her eyes go wide, and her mouth open slightly.

Harry didn't need to ask her what it was, he caught a flash of it as it landed in her hands. There was only one thing he knew that was that small, that shape, and with those colors on it.

He turned to Max with an extreme look of disbelief. ". . . . really? _Really_? Snickers?"

The tall girl just grinned back with a maniacal gleam in her eye. "My mum's a muggle. She sends me snacks every other week to share with my friends. You'd be surprised how many wizard raised don't have a clue about how to get these types of things. I've managed to create a bit of a black market during my time here."

She gave Hermione a pat on the shoulder before turning back to the path ahead. Hermione moved, but was still staring down at the object in her hands.

". . . but why _Snickers_?" she whispered to no one in particular.

Finally after what seemed like an hour, even though Harry knew it had barely been five minutes, they reached a short hallway with a dead end. There was a single torch barely offering any light, and the walls were damp and dark.

This would have been an extremely unremarkable location if it weren't for the rather large painting on the wall to the left. The frame was old and cracked with a layer of dust, and the paint seemed to be fading in the background. The frame's occupant, however, was still clearly visible.

A massive serpent with vibrant purple scales, and a shimmering streak of white down its belly that looked practically silver flanked by stripes of yellow. Its eyes were a bright green, and even as the group watched, it continued to coil and uncoil inside its painting. As the seconds ticked by more and more of the creature appeared and disappeared, and it was clear they were only seeing a small portion of it. A pair of feathery wings dipped in and out of the image at different times, catching their attention easily as they seemed to be made of pure gold. But the creature's head, with its bright green eyes, never left the center of the image, and continued to look out as if it were watching them.

"Oh, she's _gorgeous_!" Hermione exclaimed, approaching it quickly.

Ron sighed quietly so only Harry could hear. "We really _do_ need to sort out her priorities."

"That's not the basilisk right? I mean it _is_ looking at us." Albert queried nervously with a small laugh that trickled away.

Harry shook his head "No, it's quite a bite smaller . . " Albert paled slightly "And it definitely didn't have any feathers. Hermione?"

"It's a quetzalcoatl." She said automatically, still examining the portrait. "A magical creature native to the America's, mostly South America actually. It's practically extinct, but Griffith Scamander wrote an excellent biography of one. They can turn themselves nearly invisible, and are the fastest flying creature in the world. He rode one from London to Beijing in ten minutes! They are extremely fascinating!"

Albert approached the wall and ran his fingers along the edges of the frame.

"Permanent sticking charm. And this frame is only holding together because someone enchanted it. This is easily the oldest painting I've ever seen."

"Dumbledore thinks Slytherin must have put it here himself." Cedric said smiling. "Especially when you consider it was probably his main entrance to the Chamber. We didn't know what it was though, Dumbledore didn't have time to tell us, so thanks Hermione."

Hermione's cheeks flushed lightly at the compliment, but she turned to continue examining the picture.

Harry, who was still looking at the coiling serpent, remembered when they first emerged into this hallway the day before. Considering the effort it had taken to get down here today it has been extremely lucky for them that lunch had already started at the time.

Still, he'd take this over a girl's bathroom any day.

"So alright, I'll open it up. No one is afraid of snakes, right?" Harry asked, while taking a few steps closer to the painting.

"I mean, it's not a bloody spider but I still don't want to give it a hug. Why are you asking?" Ron said looking nervously.

Harry quickly shot his friend an apologetic look before locking eyes with the quetzalcoatl.

~ _Open_ ~ the dark haired boy hissed loudly.

The sound reverberated throughout the hallway with a slight echo. Both Albert and Max, who had never heard parseltongue before, shivered lightly.

The snake continued to look down intensely at Harry. One, two, three seconds passed without anyone moving. Finally it gave him a slow nod and began to inch forward. Rather than hitting against the painting's barrier, like most portraits did, its head grew, and grew, and grew as if it were approaching a camera lens. They could still see its writhing body in the background, and that it wasn't growing in size, just that its head was getting much closer to their view point.

Eventually its head filled the entire frame, appearing so close that it would be easy to count every scale. Slowly its mouth opened revealing, not long sharp fangs like the basilisk had, but rows of short saw like teeth that Harry was sure could rip through a person's arm with little effort. And still the creature moved closer, as if it were about to swallow the group of students, until there was only blackness filling the entire frame.

Harry looked at his friends. Hermione, though initially the closest, had moved back and was clinging to Ron's arm. Ron was slightly ahead of her now, and though his face was full of worry his body was standing firmly between the painting and Hermione. Max's fists were clenched, and Harry could see the veins on her exposed arms clearly as she tensed, apparently ready to fight if necessary.

Albert had turned to face the opposite wall.

Only Cedric, who had seen this already with Harry, looked unconcerned with his usual smile on his face. Harry sighed to himself and walked over to the portrait, placing one foot against the frame.

"Well . . come on then." He remarked before stepping _into_ the painting.

"MATE!" Ron shouted from the corridor.

Harry turned and looked at him. From Ron's perspective Harry was sure that he looked like he had just become part of the painting. From his perspective though there was darkness in every direction, except for a clear rectangle of space that looked out at his friends standing in the stone corridor.

"I guess Slytherin thought anyone who did discover this entrance would be too afraid to use it. It's just a tunnel now Ron, come on." Harry finished with a wave of his hand before turning and walking away from them.

One by one, led by Cedric, the others slowly entered the painting. Ron would later swear he heard a hissing laugh as he stepped inside, but no one else seemed to have noticed. Max took up the rear and kept an eye on their backs as she stepped in. The moment she had fully entered the frame however darkness enveloped the entrance just like the rest of the passage they seemed to be in.

But Hermione barely had time to give a surprised yelp before another rectangle of light appeared at the opposite side of the darkness.

"That's the way." Harry said. "Just follow the light."

He started walking slowly, listening to his friend's footsteps to make sure they were keeping up with him. As the rectangle became larger his eyes adjusted and he was able to see the group following him, though moving a bit slower than he was.

After less than a minute of walking he stepped out of the passage and stood off to the side to allow the others through. Unsurprisingly it was Hermione that rushed out first, though she stopped immediately.

"This is _amazing_ Harry!"

The foreboding Chamber of Salazar Slytherin was long forgotten now. The warm light that now diffused throughout the room was inviting, and the brightly colored drapes on the walls easily made you forget there was cold hard stone behind them.

But for Harry the largest improvement had been the new way in and out of the Chamber. Gone was the massive head of one of the school's founders, which once held the basilisk. When he had called for an exit the previous day, at the Headmasters urging, he hadn't expected there to be such a massive change.

The entire head of Slytherin had turned slowly, with a great grinding sound of stone on stone, until its entire face vanished into the wall behind it. In its place, on the back of its head, was a short staircase leading to an ornate marble archway with two massive pillars. The pillars each had a carving of a snake coiled tightly around it, and between them was a black filled picture frame, much like the one they had just entered..

Harry looked around the room again with a small smile. "It's completely different than the first time I was down here. For multiple reasons. I think it will be great for training."

"Training?" Ron said as he took his first steps into the room. "Bloody hell, forget training, this place looks more comfortable that the common room."

He quickly jogged over to the sitting area and threw himself into one of the over-sized plush armchairs.

"Are those target dummies?" Max said eagerly as they stepped into the room before even taking in the rest of the Chamber.

"Yeah, Dumbledore made them." Harry responded while looking towards that side of the room.

"Dumbledore?" Max said with an uncharacteristic grin. "They must be practically indestructible then. Might need to test that out."

She quickly drew her wand and started heading over to the other side of the chamber with as much speed as Ron had made towards the armchair.

Harry almost followed them, but Hermione called out to him suddenly.

"Oh Harry, these books are _amazing_. Where did you get them?"

Harry walked over past the sitting area to the small "library" space Dumbledore had created the previous day, where he found Hermione cradling three large books in her arms while seemingly looking for a fourth.

"Um, I don't know. They weren't here yesterday." He said puzzled.

"What?" She said, stopping to look at him. "But I thought the three of you did all of this yesterday?"

At this point Cedric and Albert had come over as well, though Albert simply laid across the empty sofa as Cedric continued on to join Harry and Hermione.

"Dumbledore made the bookcases." The older boy said, running his finger along a shelf. "But there weren't any books here. And you haven't been down here since we left yesterday I assume Harry?"

Harry shook his head while looking at the books.

"I don't own this many books anyway, and I doubt they are from the library. Madam Pince wouldn't let this many books out of her sight at once."

Hermione looked down at her armful of books thoughtfully.

"These are old books, all on offensive and defensive spells. It's like they were hand-picked to help with your training."

Cedric nodded thoughtfully for a moment before breaking out into a wide grin. He picked up the nearest book and set it on top of Hermione's pile, which almost unbalanced her for a moment.

"Must be a happy accident, best not to dwell on it." He said giving him a significant look.

"But . . "

"BOMBARDA!"

All heads turned to the other side of the room where Max's spell sent a training dummy flying hard against the wall with a loud crash. The group quickly headed over, Hermione stopping only to set her books on the table, to see what had happened.

There was a black mark on the stone wall, and the dummy was laying on its side with large splinters of wood around it. Max was breathing heavily with a feral smile that showed their teeth.

"Barely dented the thing! And the wall doesn't look damaged at all. Ced, you're going to have to take me to your training room next, I want to see if it has the same enchantments."

Cedric looked from her to the dummy nervously. "You know, maybe give me a few days, or weeks, to check things out first. I'm not sure if it will have thousand year old walls or objects crafted by the greatest wizard to ever live.

Ron and Albert had gone over and lifted up the dummy, placing it back into its original position.

"It's still in great shape, mate." Ron said while looking it over. "Definitely made to take a beating. I doubt we'll be able to destroy them."

"Well, not with only your little fourth year spells." Albert teased joyfully. "You aren't big scary fifth years like me or Max." He pointed proudly towards his chest with his thumb.

"Speaking of which." Cedric hummed thoughtfully before turning to Harry. "Serious question Harry, how are you going to be training?"

Harry stared at Cedric wide eyed. He had been so focused on finding a place to train he hadn't thought much on how he would be doing it.

"Well . . " He began, rubbing the back of his head and looking around. "Professor Dumbledore said it would be important to rely on my friends."

Both Hermione and Ron stood next to him, smiling brightly.

"And he also said he might be able to acquire me some tutors, but that it would take some time to get set up."

Cedric rubbed his chin thoughtfully for a few seconds while looking at him.

"That's certainly good but, and this is no offense, but your friends are mostly in your year I take it?"

Harry simply nodded. In fact, until making friends with the three Hufflepuff's the only older students he really knew were the ones from the Gryffindor quidditch team. And they mostly talked about quidditch, not schoolwork or learning new spells.

"Before your tutors are arranged, you really do need to get caught up. I'm two years above you, and while that doesn't seem like much, when it comes to your wizarding education it means everything."

Albert came up and slapped Cedric on the back.

"Cedric here could probably take both me and Max on without getting a scratch. That's the difference a year makes here, _especially_ when you compare students who have already taken their O.W.L's."

"I've had to learn more in the last few weeks than probably my first two years." Max said somewhat sadly. "O.W.L.'s year is a nightmare."

Cedric hummed again, looking up at the ceiling absently.

"Not only that, you have to consider the other two champions. Fleur, I have found out, isn't that much older than I am. But she's still an entire year ahead in school. And Krum, he's older than all of us. Practically speaking has almost another full year older than any of us."

Ron spoke with his arms crossed while looking towards the floor, seemingly deep in thought. "And don't forget, their schools have different specialties than Hogwarts. It's not like we can rely on their skills based on what we are taught here. Beauxbatons teaches more everyday spells, but offers a lot more elective courses than we do, including dueling. Durmstrang is almost all battle magic, and they teach more dark spells than any other school. Hogwarts is the middle school teaching a little bit of everything, which means we don't have a particular strong subject."

Everyone in the room simply stared at the red head for a full minute until Hermione broke the silence.

" _Ron_. How do you _know_ all of that?"

The tips of his ears reddened at he suddenly looked up at the group staring in his direction.

"I asked around yesterday evening, alright?" He admitted. "I knew we were meeting up today, and I figured information would be the best way to form a strategy . . ."

The lanky boy suddenly turned and headed for the sitting area, not looking anyone in the eye. The group as a whole followed him.

Harry grinned. Ron rarely made an effort on anything that wasn't related to quidditch. Seeing him actively trying to help Harry, without being asked mind you, really impressed him. He threw himself into the large armchair opposite the one Ron had decided to sit in, while the others spread out along the sofa.

"Ron, if what you are saying is right though then that means that we, both Harry and I, have a big problem." Cedric pointed out while leaning forward from his seat. "Hogwarts doesn't have a strong subject, but it definitely has a weak one. And unfortunately it's the most important one needed for a tournament like this."

There was a collective groan from each of the students.

"You're the oldest of us here Cedric, didn't we ever have a good Defense professor?" Hermione asked hopefully.

Cedric sighed. "Let me put it this way, Professor Quirrell felt like an improvement."

The others groaned even louder than before.

"In fact" he continued "I heard that the last good Defense teacher we had, before Professor Lupin I mean, had a nasty temper. Rumor was she even snapped a student's wand."

Both Ron and Albert shuttered slightly. Harry had had nightmares during his first year that his wand would be snapped, and he would end up living in the cupboard under the stairs again. The thought of anything happening to it was something he didn't think he could stand.

"But that just means there will need to be a lot of training in Defense, right?" Max said with a toothy grin, bouncing their knees excited. "Dueling, dodging, maybe even some physical attacks?"

"Max's mom punches people for a living." Albert drawled lazily towards the Gryffindors as he slumped deeper into the cushions.

"I'll punch _you_ if you keep telling people that!" Max said, halfway getting to her feet before Cedric pulled her back down.

"No fighting in front of Prefects." He said in a slightly serious tone. "And remember what Professor Sprout says: 'Fight with your words, or not at all.' "

"Didn't she also say 'It's not a fight if you finish it in one hit.'?" Max replied as they sat up cross-legged on the sofa.

"She did not!" Hermione said, looking shock.

"Have you never been in her office?" Cedric said, watching as the three Gryffindors shook their heads. "She keeps an old cracked beaters bat on the wall behind her desk from when she was a student, but the grip is brand new. I heard she re-wraps it every year 'just in case'."

"I don't even know what that means!" Albert exclaimed, having laid on his side. "She'd _never_ hurt a student, never. What does she think will happen?"

"Troll in our first year." Ron said immediately.

"The basilisk . . " Cedric said, looking towards the center of the Chamber nervously.

"Dementor's last year." Hermione said in a disappointed tone.

"And whoever wants me dead this year . . " Harry finished in an offhanded way.

Max's fidgeting stopped completely, and Albert sat up properly.

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" He said incredulously.

"Oh, well, it's nothing I mean . . " Harry said quickly, not used to having friends he couldn't share everything with.

"Dumbledore thinks someone entered him into the tournament to kill him." Ron said angrily, clenching his fists against his knees.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled, jumping to her feet "That's not something we should say! The Headmaster told us that in secret."

"No." The red head argued, his voice rising "He told us in private, that doesn't mean we can't tell people. Don't you think it's better people knew the truth rather than calling Harry a cheater?"

"We never . . " But Max went unnoticed by Hermione as she continued to argue.

"Well isn't that Harry's decision then? Not yours?" She retorted, looking quickly in the lightning scarred boy's direction.

Harry didn't particularly care if people knew or didn't know. He knew most people wouldn't believe him no matter what he said, and he was fully expecting for it to be second year all over again.

"It's fine." He said, giving Hermione a small smile to make sure she knew he meant it. " _Really_ Hermione."

The bushy haired girl just huffed a bit and sat back down quickly. Max and Albert were looking at each other skeptically. Harry wasn't sure if they believed what Ron had said. Cedric, however, was deep in thought.

"If that's the case." The older boy finally said. "Then that makes your training even more important. I'll ask again Harry, how are you going to be training? Not later when you have tutors, I mean what are you going to be doing to catch up to us right now, today?"

Harry looked at the older boy in a panic. He had convinced himself that everything would be fine once he had a place to train, but the truth was he had no idea how he was going to gain the skills he needed. He wasn't very good at self-study, and he wasn't wizard raised so he didn't even really know what magic was capable of. Sometimes he would still stare wide eyed when someone floated a book across the room. His throat dried up and he gave a small cough as he looked up at the other boy.

Thankfully before he could force himself to speak, Hermione stepped forward while fidgeting with her book bag.

"Actually . . I've been thinking about that. And, Harry, I think I have an idea if you are willing to listen?" She asked somewhat timidly.

"Of course Hermione!" He said with relief, a small smile returning to his face. "You know how much I value your opinion."

She smiled at him, but only briefly.

"Then I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but . . I don't think they should be here for it." She said while giving Cedric an apologetic smile.

Harry was surprised by the sudden change in her attitude "Hermione, I thought we had talked about this? I trust Cedric, and I trust his friends too."

"Thank you Harry." Cedric said, turning to him. "But Hermione is right."

"What?!" Both Ron and Albert said together.

"Harry we're both competing against each other in this thing. I wish I could help you, I really do, but I need to focus on my own training. And the other schools already think that Hogwarts cheated somehow, what will happen if we started working together?"

Harry deflated significantly, never having thought of that. "They'd never believe I didn't enter the tournament on purpose. In fact they'd probably suspect the Headmaster was in on it."

Cedric simply nodded as he stood up.

"That doesn't mean we have to stay away from each other." He said brightly. "Or that if you are really stuck you can't come to me for advice. But in general we really need to work things out for ourselves. I appreciate you letting me show my friends the Chamber, maybe we can all get together down here again when the tournament isn't going on?"

Harry nodded and was halfway out of his chair before Cedric raised his hand to stop him.

"We can see ourselves out, er with your permission of course? But _you_ need to focus on your training. Not after lunch, not tomorrow or next week, you need to start now if you are going to catch up Harry."

Harry nodded towards Cedric, and was caught off guard by the serious look the Hufflepuff Champion was giving him. He was deadly serious about what he was saying, and he wanted Harry to be sure of that.

But a second later the bright smile was back on his face, and he was dragging Albert off of the sofa. Max brought up the rear and gave each of the Gryffindor's a nod as they passed.

After a brief moment, just like that, the original trio were on their own once more.

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

I legitimately don't know where this chapter came from.

I have had this story in my head for years, back ever since I first started reading fan fiction. Therefore I spend all of my writing time trying to get from point A to point B, knowing exactly where I'm going, just not always the words to get there. That can be frustrating.

There are a lot of things I want to get to RIGHT. NOW. I can tell you already, the second task is going to be a lot of fun. And I've also been working on a sort of signature spell for Harry (that definitely isn't expelliarmus). There's even a cool power move Harry is going to make in Book 4 that I probably think of more than any other part of this story.

Sometimes I will be thinking so much of a scene I go ahead and write it ahead of time. For example, I already have a good third of a chapter written for when Harry first meets his tutors. And I maaaaaaybe have written a few paragraphs for when we finally meet the love of my life, er I mean, a very special young Ravenclaw.

This chapter though? It was literally supposed to just get them into the Chamber and start Harry's training. It was supposed to be a paragraph or two, not an entire chapter. Not until I started writing did I realize the only place the Chamber would reasonably exit would be deep in the dungeons, so I wrote that entire part on the fly. Turns out I fell in love with the idea of each house having their own territories and rules though, I'll definitely revisit that later.

Also even I, the ultimate Hufflepuff, didn't plan to spend so much time with them upfront. This is still Harry's story, and I'm not a fan of having too many OC's hanging around. In fact I hated OC's until I started writing this. Do you know why people add so many? Because Harry Potter knows like MAYBE ten people at school, and they don't really have a diverse set of skills or thought processes.

I'm still planning to try and stay away from them in general, there are a lot of fun in canon students we haven't had the chance to get into yet, but I suspect I'll need at least a few in each house for the older or younger years.


	12. 12: The Schedule

**Author's Note**

This is my first work of fan fiction, though not my first written work. I do hope that you enjoy it, as my desire is to entertain readers just as much as it is to get this story out of my head.

I despise typos, continuity errors, and formatting mistakes. Do not hesitate to point them out so I may set them on fire, though I would prefer you DM me so my shame does not live eternal in the reviews. Unless it relates to apostrophes, which I have learned I have no control over.

 **Please. Review**. I cannot stress this enough. Your feedback, both positive and negative, motivates me and helps me to become a better writer.

 **Do. Not. Post. Spoilers. In. Your. Review.**

Disclaimer: I am not the immensely talented and inspiring woman known as J. K. Rowling, and therefore hold no claim to the fantastical world she allows our imaginations to frolic in.

* * *

Chapter 12: The Schedule

"I hope I didn't make them feel unwelcome . . " Hermione sad sadly.

Ron simply leaned back in his chair comfortably. "I mean, 'Mione you did sort of tell them to get out."

Hermione flushed and was about to respond when Harry quickly interrupted.

"She and Cedric were right though. This is a competition and we can't really work together right now with the whole school thinking I cheated. He was also right about it being time to start training, so Hermione will you tell me what you were thinking?"

She nodded and stepped forward, setting her bag down heavily on the large coffee table between all of them. Quickly she began pulling out small leather bound black books, handing one each to Harry and Ron and setting one down in front of herself.

"I was saving those for Christmas, but this is a greater good." She then also started pulling out larger books and setting them down on the table.

"Merlin Hermione, how do you fit so many books in your bag?" Ron said while trying to pick up a heavy book, before wincing and rubbing his wrist.

"I've been experimenting with expansion charms." Hermione commented absently, as she lined up each book. "But I've only been able to double the space, and I still can't lessen the weight."

". . . That's N.E.W.T. level spellwork, how did you enchant a bag in your fourth year?" He said while trying to reach for it.

Hermione quickly held the bag up with both hands and stepped back.

"It's not done yet, don't look at it!" She said with more than a hint of disappointment in her voice. "It was my first attempt and it barely works at all!"

Harry couldn't help but laugh, only Hermione could do work years above her and not be satisfied with it. Ron, however, had stopped paying attention to the bag and was looking intently at each of the books Hermione had set out with a frown.

"Hermione, where did you get these from?" He asked in a suddenly serious tone.

"Oh. Well. If you must know, Ron, they were Christmas presents from your mother. She sends me a few books every year. They are . . . interesting, but I've never had a chance to read them."

Ron's frown deepened, but he didn't say anything. Harry leaned forward to try and see the books on the table, and was able to make out a few of the titles.

" _A Tome for Your Home_ " By Nellie Nest

" _Where There's a Wand, There's a Way_ " by Almira Rubble

" _Enchantment in Baking_ " By Pepper Plums

"Uh Hermione, these don't look like defensive spells." He said while looking them over.

The bushy haired girl bit her lower lip, and she looked down into her bag as if she was still looking for more books, even though it was clearly almost empty now.

"Hermione?"

Harry had known her for years, and it was obvious to him that she didn't want to say what she was thinking.

"Harry . . . I love you . . like a brother!" she blurted the last part out hastily, turning red in the face again. "So I don't want you to take this the wrong way or anything."

Ron had suddenly turned and she now had both of their attention.

"Harry." She took a deep breath. "You're a wonderfully powerful wizard, we all know that. But . . . your spell library is _dreadful_."

"Uh." He said, looking at Ron who just shrugged his shoulders. "Hermione, it's not really my library, I don't even know who put those books here."

"Ugh. Not _that_ library Harry! And of course you don't know, it would be pointless if he had told you!" She said sounding exasperated.

"Wait, what?"

"I meant your repertoire, the number of spells you know is extremely limited."

At this Harry began to feel more than a little upset at what one of his best friends was saying to him.

"Hermione, I may not be 'practicing my expansion charms', but I still do well enough in class to know all the spells."

"That's not what I _mean_ Harry." Hermione said in a slightly pleading voice. "Don't you remember the troll? You're a wizard, and you stuck your wand up its nose."

"Hermione lay off 'em, that was start of first year. We only knew the one spell." Interjected Ron as he started eating a large cookie.

She shook her head and ignored him.

"Second year, the basilisk, you're at a school for wizardry and you attacked it with a _sword_."

"It was fifty feet long Hermione, and I couldn't look at it for half the fight! I barely survived!" Harry almost shouted at her, trying to keep his temper in check.

"And last year Harry." She continued, looking as if she was ready to cry. "You stood between us and Sirius Black, holding your wand at him, saying you wanted to kill him. Harry. What spell did you think you were going to cast at him? Name literally any spell."

Harry twisted his jaw and clenched his fists, he didn't know what point Hermione was trying to make. Ron was looking from one of them to the other, unsure of what to say, or maybe just trying to decide whose side to be on.

But as Harry stood there and thought about it, he didn't actually know any good spells to use against another person. Petrificus Totalus and Flipendo had their uses, but certainly didn't do any real damage.

"Harry has a bloody _brilliant_ patronus." Ron said, having seemingly decided to back him up in the conversation.

Hermione only smiled, her eyes shimmering. "That's what I mean Harry. You're a _powerful_ wizard, you learned a spell most full grown wizards don't know in a matter of months. That's incredible. And if we were only worried about our studies I might never have said anything." She admitted, while sitting down on the table right in front of him.

"But during the summer, even before your name came out of that Goblet, I was worried. Every year something terrible happens to you, and you barely make it out alive. It was only going to take one time when 'barely' wouldn't be enough, and then you would be gone. So I thought, this could be the year the three of us would get ahead."

She twisted the end of her robes in her hands nervously as she sat there. Harry didn't want to stop her from talking, the anger having slowly left him. It was clear that this had been on her mind for some time. Even Ron was looking at her seriously.

"And now you're a 'Champion' and there's a 'Tournament' and we can't go at the relaxed pace I was hoping for. There will be different challenges, and it's not going to be just about throwing the most powerful spell around."

She sniffled loudly, grabbing a large handkerchief off the table and burying her face in it for a few seconds. Both boys just stayed quiet until she was ready to talk again.

"When I first got these books from Mrs. Weasley I thought it was because . . I was a _girl_ , and she wanted me to learn spells to fold laundry and make tea. Then last year we were all staying at the Leaky Cauldron and I tried to let her know how I felt."

She grabbed one of the books on the table, _Where there's A Wand There's A Way,_ and started to flip through it.

"Harry, what spell would you use to dig a hole?" She asked suddenly, looking up at him.

"Uh." He replied, caught off guard by the question. "I think I'd just look for a spade?"

Hermione shook her head violently. "That's the problem Harry! You and I need to stop looking at muggle solutions, when we're both wizards. Mrs. Weasley said she gave me these books not because I was a girl, but because she knew muggleborns are rarely taught every day spells and she didn't want me to go through life without them."

She turned the book around and showed him the page she had opened. It was titled: _Defodio: The Gouging Charm,_ and had several elaborate drawings of wand movements.

"Look, this is a household spell for making quick holes. It says here it's mainly used in gardening, but don't you see? What happens if you are trapped behind a barrier and can't see your attacker? You could put a hole right through it that you could see through and have amazing cover. Or what if you are pitted against a huge beast with no place to hide? You could have a trench in a matter of seconds."

She flipped the pages again quickly before pushing it closer to his face.

" _Flante Exsurgebat:_ _The Air Drying Charm_. What if you have to swim in one of the challenges? When you got back on land you'd be extremely slowed down, you wouldn't have time to cast a fire lighting charm and wait to dry naturally."

She closed the book and held it tightly to her chest while looking at him, her eyes still watery.

"Harry, these are spells the other Champions are going to know so well they will cast them without even thinking, and we haven't spent any time on them at all. I _know_ that when you thought about training you were thinking about spells that would blast way your competition, and of course you need those spells, but don't you think we should start with the basics?"

Hermione put her book down and took Harry by the hands, looking at him intently.

"We're going to be in this world for the rest of our lives, isn't it time we learned how to live in it?"

Several quiet moments passed where nothing happened. Hermione looked at Harry, Harry looked at Hermione, and Ron looked at both of them. Until finally the dark haired boy let out a long sigh.

How could he have been upset with Hermione? She always has a reason for her ideas, and the reasons were usually about protecting Harry. In the end all she was doing was worry about his well-being, and he couldn't help but swell slightly at the thought of someone caring about him. He didn't think a spell to dig holes would actually help him in the tournament, but he knew Hermione was right.

"I trust you Hermione. The first task is still a few weeks away, and I am more than willing to do things your way. But . . just promise me we can still learn a combat spell before then? I really have no idea what I was going to cast at Sirius back then . . ."

Hermione beamed towards him happily and leapt to her feet.

"Of course we will! We just won't be focusing on it as heavily. I have everything planned out if you would both listen?"

She reached out and grabbed Ron by the arm, who had been standing off to the side making sure not to say anything that would upset her. Suddenly he was pushed back into his chair near Harry, and both boys were given their little black books.

Hermione took hers off of the table and moved towards the blackboard near the bookshelves, where she quickly started drawing a calendar with the tip of her wand. The moment her back was fully turned Ron leaned forward and grabbed the plate of cookies on the coffee table and brought them into his lap. Though not before thrusting a particularly large one towards Harry first, who hid it in his robes immediately.

So excited was Hermione that she didn't seem to notice when she turned back to them.

"I picked up those books in Diagon Alley, though I have modified them slightly. They were originally homework planners you were going to be getting for Christmas."

Ron looked slightly mortified at the thought, but Harry managed to simply stare at her blankly. Fortunately Hermione was still too caught up to notice either of their reactions.

"These!" she said, tapping the books "Will be our new training planners. We're going to decide every week which spells we are going to work on, and the planner will help us keep track of our progress.

She opened her book before motioning Harry and Ron to do the same. When Harry opened his he found that it laid flat and displayed a schedule for the entire week, color coordinated by day and time. But what really surprised Harry was that his classes were already listed at the proper times, even though he had only changed his schedule a day ago.

"Now this is what I recommend. We start by selecting three spells that we think will be useful for the tournament, two 'household spells' and one 'combat spell'." The bushy haired girl said while flicking her wand at the blackboard. Suddenly _1a_ and _1b_ appeared on the schedule on alternating mornings, while simply _2_ appeared on alternating afternoons.

"This way we spend an entire day focused on a single spell, and we can have either Saturday or Sunday be a review day. _Obviously_ the main goal is for Harry to be able to cast these spells reliably, but it would be best for Ron and I to learn what we can as well. But Harry, you have much more free time than we do, I fully expect you to master these spells first so we can move on." She said while giving him a stern look.

"Alright Hermione." Harry said casually, which may have been the wrong tone for this moment considering how fast her look turned into a full on glare.

"Not just 'alright' Harry!" She insisted. "The only day you don't have a free morning period is Monday, and you have both Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. Both of those are hands on, and both are outside with minimal supervision. I want you to promise me that you will practice whatever spells you can during class, even if it means turning a hippogriff pink!"

Hermione's smacked the tip of her wand against the blackboard with a resounding "CRACK" that caused both boys to flinch. Harry sat up straighter, and Ron tried to stealthily move the cookies from his lap to the floor.

"So um." Harry said, trying to keep her attention on him. "Which spells do we want to pick?"

She smiled and turned back to the board, drawing small sections to the side titled _Simple Spells_ and _Combat Spells_.

"Well, I see no reason not to start with the spells I mentioned already. The gouging charm, and air-drying charm are extremely practical. They are also some of the easier spells to learn. But as for combat spells that may take a bit of research. I think for those we should come up with a list so that we have an idea of what we are going to be working on next. We'll also need to think of a combat spell for this week. Does anyone have a suggestion?"

Harry thought about this for a few moments, rubbing his messy head of hair. "What was that spell the Ministry cast at us after the World Cup? When they thought we had cast the dark mark?"

"Stupefy." Ron commented thoughtfully while drinking a glass of milk. "It stuns people. Dad's mentioned it before, and I know Charlie uses it a lot to help with the dragons."

"Oh, that sounds useful!" Hermione said as she spun around and started writing the information on the blackboard. "We have Charms first today, I can ask Professor Flitwick about the spell. And I'm sure one of the books down here has the information."

Suddenly Harry was reminded of something. "Where _did_ those books come from Hermione? You and Cedric seemed to know."

" _Honestly_ Harry, really? They're _obviously_ from Dumbledore." She said in a tone that reminded Harry very much of the Hermione from first year.

"The books are from Dumbledore?" He said with a frown. "He didn't say he was giving me any books."

Hermione set down her chalk and turned, giving him a slightly disappointed look.

"Harry, of course he didn't. Don't you remember the rules of the tournament? He's barred from giving you any help with the tournament. I'm sure he was only able to help with the Chamber because the rules say each Champion has a right to their own training space, or some such. If anyone found out he had lent you books for your training he would be in a lot of trouble."

She walked over to the bookcase and grabbed a particularly dull colored tome with frayed edges and brought it over to him, flipping the book open to the front cover. She tilted it towards him so he could clearly see Property of Hogwarts Library stamped onto it in faded black ink.

" _However_ , if the Headmaster were, let's say, storing unused library books in a newly renovated room of the castle. Well he wouldn't be able to help it if someone came along and decided to read them."

Harry's mouth hung open slightly as she gave him a knowing smirk.

"You see Harry, even Cedric figured it out. It was a rather obvious explanation."

"Hermione, do you have any more obvious explanations up your sleeve?" Ron commented slowly as he sipped his milk.

She huffed lightly. "And what do you mean by that, _Ronald_."

"Something's been bothering me. I couldn't figure out what it was, I think the entire Chamber thing and then the complicated . . er, well thought out plan had me too distracted." He said, catching himself just as Hermione started to look offended.

"Well, Ron, just say what it is. If you think there are any problems with this schedule you need to say so before we get started." She said while taking a slow breath to calm herself.

"Well it's just . . . Hermione, where did you get that blackboard?" Ron asked seriously, holding up his hand towards it.

Hermione blinked at him.

Then blinked again.

"What? Ron, _obviously_ the Headmaster knows how important studying will be during Harry's training, and arranged for it to be brought down here with the books."

"That's all well and good Hermione." Ron said, a bit upset. "But it wasn't here when we got here. Don't you remember? We came over straight away when you saw the books, big surprise, and then we chatted with the badgers for awhile. There's wasn't a big bleedin' blackboard here until you started talking about schedules."

Hermione's eyes grew wide as she turned back and forth from the blackboard and Ron.

"But . . no, I was starting to talk about the plan and I saw there was a blackboard down here and it just seemed perfect . . "

"And another thing!" The red head got out of his chair and stood up, looking between Harry and Hermione before holding out his hand. "Where did this glass of milk come from? I mean, tastes great, nice and cold, but where did I get it?"

Hermione's eyes grew twice their size. "What?! Ron, what are you saying? We're not, we aren't just making these things appear out of thin air!"

Harry could feel in the back of his head the smallest of headaches beginning to form. He reached into his robes and pulled out the cookie Ron had given him earlier.

"Ron, where'd those cookies go?" He asked quickly.

To Hermione's shock Ron nodded and pulled the tray from its hiding place and set it back on the table.

"They were right there, but not when the Hufflepuffs were here. That's for certain, I always know when there are snacks nearby."

Harry stood and swept the room with his eyes, looking for something specific. "And considering breakfast was almost half an hour ago you had started to get hungry around then?"

"O' course. Plus Hermione wanted to get to the Entrance Hall early, and I didn't have enough time to make a bacon sandwich for my after breakfast snack." Ron said while taking another cookie off the tray.

"That explains it." Harry said, half-way under his breath.

"Harry, what's wrong? What's going on?" Hermione said.

Harry, not having found what he was looking for, decided it was time for the direct approach. He finally settled his gaze on an empty area between the blackboard and his chair, and took a deep breath.

"DOBBY!" He cried out.

POP

Hermione squeaked as the small elf appeared from nowhere, his knees lightly shaking and his ears drooping backwards. In each hand he held a glass of milk.

"Harry Potter Sir! Dobby is so sorry! Did Harry Potter and Miss Grangey want tea instead?"

Harry placed his hand against his face and just allowed it to sit there for a long moment, not saying anything.

"Why are you watching us Dobby?" He finally asked.

The elf perked up a bit and set the glasses on the table before lightly bouncing on his feet.

"The Headly-Master gave Dobby an important assignment! Dobby is to take care of Harry Potter's training room and bring him anything he needs! Dobby brought down the old books Headly-Master gave to Dobby yesterday. And Dobby has cleaned all of the dust sir!"

"What dust? Harry asked, looking around. "We just cleaned the room just yesterday?"

"Oh, begging your pardon Harry Potter Sir, but wizards always forget to dust the ceiling. Dobby made sure to stay up late and scrub it clean!" The elf said in a large smile.

And now Harry felt the rest of the headache.

"Dobby? My name is Hermione and this is Ron." Hermione said cautiously, having never met the house-elf before, but having heard Harry talk about him several times. "Dobby, how did you bring the books down here? Harry only opened the Chamber again several minutes ago and the books were already here."

"Dobby popped down with armfuls of books last night, Miss Grangey. It took less trips because Dobby piled them up high!" He said proudly, puffing out his chest.

"No, Dobby. That's not what I meant." Hermione said, a bit more firmly now. "The Chamber was sealed. How did you enter?"

Dobby titled his head slightly, ears flapping to one side. It reminded Harry of the look Aunt Marge's last dog, Quincy, gave whenever she gave him a command and he just stood there.

The small elf's next words were said somewhat slowly. "Dobby was told to bring the books down to the Chamber, Miss Grangey."

To Harry it seemed as if Hermione was also starting to suffer from a house-elf induced headache.

"Dobby, no!" She said while trying to remain calm. "This is the Chamber of Secrets, it was built by Salazar Slytherin, there's enough magic down here to keep even Dumbledore out! Where did you enter from, if there's another entrance we need to know. You can't just pop down when the wards are in place!"

Dobby gave her an extremely confused expression.

". . . of course Dobby can, Miss. Dobby's an elf."

Hermione pulled on the ends of her hair and then, after a moment, simply deflated somewhat. Dobby turned and looked at Ron while smiling widely.

"Dobby hears Harry Potter's Wheezy wants a sandwich, Sir?" He asked happily.

Ron, on the other hand, now looked as if Christmas had arrived several weeks early.

"Alright Dobby listen up." The taller boy said seriously, getting down on one knee. "Eight strips of bacon, on white, toasted, in an alternating pattern. Then a fried egg, THEN hash browns. The layering is important. Finally eight more strips of bacon."

Dobby nodded vigorously, his ears flying back and forth, before he suddenly . . .

POP

Harry slumped back into his chair. "So I guess we have Dobby to help us with anything we need. You should consider that with your plans, Hermione."

The bushy haired girl sat on the sofa in a slouch, holding her head.

"Hidden for a thousand years, but he's an _elf_ . . ." She mumbled.

Ron was grinning from ear to ear. "Harry, mate, I am sorry about this tournament stuff, I really am. But this might be the best day of my life."

"Glad you feel that way Ron. Glad you feel that way . . ." Harry mused, admittedly uplifted slightly by his friend's mood.

POP

Dobby appeared again as suddenly as before. Hermione didn't squeak this time, but she did wince. He held out a plate towards Ron with a moderately sized sandwich sitting on it, with crispy strips of bacon sticking out.

Ron lifted it up, inspecting it carefully, before finally taking a bite.

"Dobby." He said, mouth full. "Where have you been all my life?"

Dobby bounced up and down happily, while Hermione stood up quickly.

"Thank. You. Dobby." She said, emphasizing each word, while pointedly looking at Ron.

"Oh yeah, thanks mate." He said between several large bites.

"Harry P..Potters friends . . .T..THANK. D..DOBBY." He said, tears welling up quickly in his tennis ball sized eyes.

"Dobby . . " Harry started, not wanting him to bash his head into a wall, or worse.

"Well yeah." Ron continued, oblivious to the situation and still focused mainly on his sandwich. "You're helping us out now right? You're part of the team."

"There's a . . team?" Dobby questioned while looking towards the boy, his tears seemingly paused for the moment.

"Uh, yeah, right? We want Harry to win the tournament. So everyone who's down here is on, um, Team Potter. Right?" The red head said somewhat feebly, now looking at both of his friends for help.

Hermione scoffed, and Harry sighed, ready to make it _very_ clear that there was no way they would ever be calling themselves "Team Potter." Unfortunately for Harry he wasn't the fastest one to react to Ron's words.

"YES SIR!" Dobby shouted, standing up much straighter. "Dobby is here for Team Potter, sir! Anything that you need, just call on Dobby, and Dobby will be there!"

Ron looked ecstatic, but Hermione was frowning deeply.

"Dobby." She said, trying her best to sound kind. "We don't need you to hang around and be our, well, our servant. You don't need to be doing work for anyone. You should be doing only what you _want_ to be doing."

Dobby, however, did not take her words kindly. He climbed up onto the table and gave her a stern look, puffing out his chest.

"Dobby is a _free_ elf, and Dobby _wants_ to be doing this. Dobby _wants_ to support Team Potter. Dobby _wants_ Harry Potter to win."

Dobby put his hands onto his hips and lifted his chin proudly.

"Because Harry Potter is truly the greatest wizard alive, and Dobby _wants_ everyone to know!"

Harry, though he hated his fame and hated the way Dobby acted around him, honestly couldn't help but feel considerably touched. Hermione had taken a step back when Dobby confronted her, but even she seemed to have softened at his words.

"Oh Dobby . . . of course you're part of the team. A very important part, I'm sorry." She said in her most sincere voice.

Dobby smiled momentarily before suddenly frowning and slouching down.

"Dobby is sorry for raising his voice, Miss."

Hermione smiled sadly. "No, no, that's fine. We're both on Team Potter, so it's okay to become excited, isn't it?"

Dobby thought for a moment before nodding his head happily.

"We are not calling ourselves Team Potter . . " Harry said as calmly as he could.

"Oi, come on. Dobby likes it, I like it, Hermione looks like she likes it." Ron said, pointing at Hermione who was making sure to be looking at her shoes.

"It makes us feel more organized to have a name. It would be great if we could go with Team Gryffindor, or no wait, Team Victory! But I think Team Potter still has a sort of charm to it, don't you?"

"No I really don . . " Harry began, only to be immediately cut off by a shriek from Hermione.

"Charms! We're going to be late for Charms!" She shouted while grabbing her bag.

Ron looked down at his watch. "Come off it Hermione, we've got plenty of time."

Hermione struggled for a moment to get the strap of her bag over her head before glaring at him.

"No. Ronald. We. Don't." She said roughly. "Don't you remember? We're in the ' _Lower Basement'_ , and Charms is on the _third_ floor! That's six floors from us! Six floors _up_ , I might add!"

Ron turned slightly pale. "If you're gonna make me run up that many stairs . ."

"Oh, I won't make you. You can just be late and get an extra assignment from Professor Flitwick like the last time! Come on Harry."

"Bloody hell." Ron also grabbed his bag and looked between Harry and Hermione nervously, but Harry only shrugged at him. Out of desperation Ron did the only thing left he could think to do.

"Dobby, can you help get me to class on time? As a fellow teammate?" He pleaded.

"Team Potter needs to get to the third floor?" Dobby asked looking from Ron to Harry.

Ron looked to Harry and nodded desperately.

"Um, yes Dobby, Team Potter needs to get to the third floor?" Harry forced himself to say, still getting used to the idea of telling Dobby what to do.

"Yes Harry Potter Sir!" Dobby said, giving a little salute. "Dobby lives for Team Potter!"

POP

And he was gone.

Ron just looked at Harry for a second.

Then a few more seconds.

"What bloody help was _that_?! He just left us!" He exclaimed.

"ARE. YOU. COMING. OR. NOT!?" Hermione yelled from the top of the staircase by the exit.

Harry picked up his bag and ran after Hermione, Ron on his tail looking around frantically. They reached the top of the stairs, and Harry moved quickly past the very angry looking Hermione.

Against the stone wall, that Harry knew to be the back of Slytherin's statue, where there was once an empty black canvas Harry was instead the now familiar writhing image of the massive serpent.

 _~Open~_ He hissed quickly, knowing they would have to make up some time to not all be late for class.

The serpent nodded and opened its mouth, filling the area. When the last section of color was replaced with darkness Harry immediately stepped into the painting, and down the impossibly dark corridor. He could hear both Ron and Hermione argue as they followed behind him, but he did not take the time to look back at either of them.

After almost a minute of walking in darkness he finally stopped, causing someone to immediately run into him.

"Ooof. Why'd you stop Harry?" Came Ron's voice.

"Not now, we have to get out of here! We might even lose points!" Hermione said sounding panicked.

"I would love to Hermione. We just have a problem." Harry said to the darkness, turning around to where he heard her voice.

"I don't see the way out."

* * *

 **Author's Thoughts**

A fun chapter to write. While I do know exactly where the story is headed, I often have trouble just filling space or getting the narrative started. Not so with this chapter. I had so much information to get through, and it was more about not overloading the readers with it, and trying to list it out in a way that made sense.

This chapter was all about setting up how things are going to go for the rest of the school year. Obviously a LOT more is going to happen, but one of the main focuses is going to be learning a lot of magic. I remember there was a section near the end of the fourth book, right before the third task, where Harry learned a bunch of spells.

Here's my question. WHY WASN'T HE DOING THAT THE WHOLE TIME? Do you know how powerful Harry would be if he had been training like his life depended on it from much sooner!? Because you know, he's known since he was 11 that his life sort of depends on this stuff? Because I think about it all the time!

So much so that I ended up writing fan fiction!


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